Cruel to Be Kind
by EllieD
Summary: Based on the movie ’10 Things I Hate About You’. It is a widely known fact that the Summers sisters are not allowed to date until they are 18. But due to a new rule, the youngest is allowed to date as long as her older sister does. Easier said than
1. Default Chapter

Cruel to Be Kind 

Based on the movie '10 Things I Hate About You'.  It is a widely known fact that the Summers sisters are not 

allowed to date until they are 18.  But due to a new rule, the youngest is allowed to date as long as her older 

sister does.  Easier said than done.  In order to date Dawn Summers, Conner James pays William 'Spike' Develin

to date Dawn's older sister Buffy.  But Dawn's interest lies in senior Liam 'Angel' O'Conner, who is only intending 

on sleeping with Dawn on Prom night to win a bet with friends.  As Spike soon finds out, getting to Buffy is no easy 

task.

Prologue 

Sunnydale, California.  Affectionately called Sunnyhell by its residents.  Just your below average, one 

Starbucks town located two hours from Los Angeles.  The end of Spring Break signaled the beginning of 

school.  Wonderful to some, hell to others.

Four teenage girls in a shiny red convertible pull up to the stop light.  All cheerfully singing to the Barenaked 

Ladies, they looked forward to going back to school.  Just as they were singing the chorus, loud, angry rock music 

drowned out the cheery beat.

Buffy Summers pulled up to the stop light next to the convertible in her old beat up car.  She looked at the girls 

and smirked, happily drowning out their too cheery music and effectively destroying their good moods.  The light 

changed to green, and both cars sped off.

Buffy pulled into the parking lot of Sunnydale High School with a sense of dread.

 'Only a few more months, only a few more months.', she repeated to herself over and over.

She got out of the car and headed towards the entrance.  Just as a girl taped a Prom poster to the wall, Buffy 

walked over, looking at the paper in disgust, then promptly tore it off.  Then she headed to her first class.

Conner James walked down the hall towards the Principal's office.  Son of a Navy officer, this was the 

third town in a year and his second school.

'Maybe this one will be different.' he thought, his mind going back to the past few months at the last school.  

He was branded a loser, constantly tormented by the jocks.  His loser status was so low, he had no friends at all.

          He entered the office, Principal Hallie Addams.  He knocked on the door.

"I'll be right with you," she told him never looking up from her computer screen.  She was busily typing the new 

chapter of her romance novel, which she was sure would get published this time.  She closed the laptop and 

picked up Conner's folder.

"So, Conner, is it?  Here you go."  She handed him his schedule.

"Nine schools in ten years.  My, my.  Army brat?"

"Um yeah.  My dad is a…"

"That's enough.  I'm sure you won't find Sunnydale any different than your old schools.  Same old brats with 

shit for brains everywhere!"  She laughed.

Conner looked at her in shock.

"What?  Am I in the right office?"

"Not anymore. Now go.  I've got deviants to see and a novel to finish.  Now go.  Go!"

Conner stood up so fast he tipped the chair.  He picked the chair up and turned to leave.

"Uh right. Thanks."

As he turned to go out the door, he ran into a boy with bleached hair and a leather coat.  Conner 

immediately tensed up, expecting a fist in his face, 

and when nothing happened, he left quickly.

          William Develin, known as Spike, looked at the boy curiously and went into the office.

"William Develin.  I see that you're going to make these visits a weekly ritual."

Spike looked at Ms. Addams and gave her one of his trademark smirks.

"Only so we can spend these moments together.  Should I hit the lights?"

"Ooh, very clever, bleach boy."

          She looked at the file in her hand.

"It says here you exposed yourself in the cafeteria."

          Spike rolled his eyes.

"I was joking with the lunch lady.  It was a bratwurst."

Ms. Addams stood up and looked at Spike.

"Bratwurst?  Is that what they call it these days?"

          She looked at his crotch and smiled.

"Aren't we the optimist!  Next time, keep it in your pouch.  Ok!"

          Spike looked at the woman wide-eyed.

"Go!"

          Spike slowly turned and left, still in shock that the Principal just referred to his goods as a bratwurst.

'Bloody bitch.' he thought as he headed to his next class.

          Back at the computer, Ms. Addams quickly revised her last sentence, replacing 'member' with 

'bratwurst'.  

She smiled at the thought and continued typing.

Conner walked out of the Ms. Addams' office and was greeted by a boy wearing khakis and a necktie.

'Oh no.  He's one of those geeks with the slides.', Conner thought.

          The boy looked at Conner and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Jesse Crawford.  I'm supposed to show you around."

          Conner smiled and shook his hand.

"Thank God.  I thought they were going to send one of those audiovisual nerds."

          Jesse laughed nervously.

"I-I do, I know what you mean."

          Jesse grabbed Conner's arm and began to lead him away as a boy with a cart of slides came up 

beside them.

"Hey, Jesse.  Where should I put the slides?"

          Jesse looked at the boy and laughed.

"Slides?"

          He laughed nervously again and quickly led Conner down the busy hall.

"So, Conner.  Here's the breakdown.  Over there we've got your basic beautiful people.  Now listen, unless 

they talk to you first, don't bother them."

          Conner looked at Jesse.

"Wait, is that your rule or theirs?"

"Just watch."

          As they walked down the hall, they passed Angel O'Connor and his group of friends, Riley, Parker, and 

Gunn.  

Jesse looked straight ahead as they passed, "Hey there!"

          Angel glared at Jesse, "Eat me!"

          Jesse looked over at Conner, "You see that?"

          They continued down the hall until they exited the building onto the quad.  Jesse pointed to a group of

 People with coffee cups.

"They are the Coffee Kids.  Very edgy.  Don't make any sudden movements around them."

          They walked a little further until they got to a group with dreadlocks and tie-dye shirts.

"These delusionals are big Marley fans, semipolitical, but mostly…"

"Just smoke a lot of weed?", Conner finished for him.

"Yeah.  These guys," he pointed to a group of guys with cowboy hats trying to lasso a trash can.

"Wait, wait, wait.  Let me guess.  Cowboys?"  Conner chuckled.

"Yeah, but the closest they have ever come to a cow is a hamburger at McDonald's!"  Jesse laughed, but 

stopped when he realized Conner was looking at him strangely.  They passed by a group at a table dressed

 in suits busily typing on laptops.

"Anyway, these are your future MBA's, all ivy-league accepted."

          They continued walking, and Jesse spoke again.

"Now over there…"

          Conner stopped.  "Oh my God."

Dawn Summers walked out of the building chatting with her two best friends, Harmony Kendall and 

Cordelia Chase.  Just as they walked by Conner began to follow.

"What group is she in?", he asked Jesse.

Jesse looked at Conner shaking his head. 

"The 'don't-even-think-about-it' group.  Dawn Summers, a sophomore…"

          Conner kept staring at Dawn, "I burn, I pine, I perish."

Jesse laughed.  "Of course you do.  You know, she is beautiful and deep, for sure."

They continued following the girls, listening to their conversation.

Dawn looked at Cordelia.

"Yeah, but see, there is a difference between like and love.  Because, I _like_ my Skechers, but I _love_ my 

Prada backpack."

          Harmony looked at Dawn.

"But I love my Skechers."

          Dawn and Cordelia looked at each other and sighed.

"That's because you don't have a Prada backpack.", Dawn told her.

          "Ohhh."  Harmony smiled thoughtfully.

          The girls walked away, leaving Conner and Jesse staring after them.  Jesse noticed Conner still 

staring intently at Dawn.

"Listen, forget her.  She has an incredibly uptight father and it's a widely known fact that the Summers 

sisters aren't allowed to date."

          Conner was too busy staring at Dawn to listen to what Jesse was saying.

"Yeah, uh huh, whatever."

          The bell rang and the students begin to walk back to the building to go to class.  As Conner was 

walking, he was busy thinking of ways to ask Dawn out.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 (Meet the Characters)

          The bell rang signaling lunch, and everyone headed to the cafeteria.  Buffy plopped her tray down on

 the table where her best friends were sitting.  They were considered the "geeky freaks" of the school, mostly

 because they were not geeky enough to be considered losers, and everyone hated them because they had 

very strong opinions about everything, and for that they were called freaks.

          Buffy looked like your average California girl: long blonde hair, green eyes, tanned and toned body.  But 

everyone knew that she was not.  She was quick-witted, hot tempered and not someone you would want to 

mess with.

          Buffy looked at her friends and smiled.  They began to talk about the day, classes, and the night's plans.

          Willow Rosenberg is a very shy girl with flame-red hair and a friendly expression.  She was very smart, 

and had been accepted at many top colleges.  She and Buffy formed the core of the group, for they were best

 friends since  they were in daycare.

          Tara McClay had been the next addition to the group.  She is also very quiet and smart, with blue eyes

 and light brown hair.  She is currently dating one of her best friends, Amy Madison, who is also a member of the 

group.

          Amy joined the group when she began to date Tara.  Black hair and brown eyes, she likes to study the 

occult and works part-time at a bookstore where the girls hang out.  She also has a weird obsession with cheese.

          Fred Burkle joined the group on her first day of school her sophomore year.  She was a transfer from 

some foreign country where she had been living with a foster family.  She is a very shy girl with brown hair and 

glasses, who likes to spend most of her time reading.

          And then there is Anya Jenkins.  She joined the group last year.  She was a transfer from Los Angeles.  

She doesn't know her natural hair color due to the fact that she changes it all the time.  She is also very blunt.

          The girls continued to eat their lunch, while a few tables over Spike sat down with a loud thump.

Spike sat down at the table with his friends.  Spike was known as the school bad boy: bleached hair, 

black clothes, English accent, and a leather duster which he wore every second of the day.  He began

 school at Sunnydale a year ago.  Most students didn't know anything about him except rumors.  He 

skipped most of his classes and was known to pick a lot of fights.  He is also a member of the band, 

Dingoes Ate My Baby, in which he sings and sometimes plays guitar.

          Spike greeted his friends, the only people who had bothered to talk to him his first day of school, and 

also members of the Dingoes.  He noticed the boy from Ms. Addams' office.  He introduced himself and 

everyone began to talk about their upcoming gig at the Bronze.

          Xander Harris is the quirkiest of the group.  He often makes jokes that only he and Jesse laugh at.  He 

plays guitar for the Dingoes.  Daniel Osbourne, known as Oz, also plays guitar for the Dingoes.  He is very 

stoic, and his hair has been every color of the rainbow at least once.

          The guys looked up as they heard a loud crash.

The freshman fell to the ground as he was tripped.  He heard laughing as he looked up at Angel and

 his friends.  He quickly gathered his things and ran, already embarrassed and not looking forward to a beating.

          Angel O'Connor is the most popular guy in school.  The guys want to be as popular as he is and the girls 

wish they could get with him.  He spends most of his time tormenting the less fortunate.  Laughing, he turned to

 go to his table and sat down.

          Riley Finn, a farm boy from Iowa, is only popular because he happens to be on the football team with Angel. 

 His father is in the military, so he often talks in military code.  Parker Abrams is also on the football team.  His 

hobby is getting girls to sleep with him and then leaving them the next morning, never speaking to them again.  

And then there is Charles Gunn, known as Gunn.  Also on the football team, he enjoys taking the geeks to the 

bathroom and beating them senseless.

          Angel sat down at the "popular" table just as three girls entered the room.

Dawn, Harmony, and Cordelia walked into the room.  They spotted Angel at the popular table and went to

sit down at the table next to it.  All sophomores, the girls were among the most popular girls in school.

          Dawn is Buffy's sister, although neither one admits it.  She's had her eye on Angel since she saw him her 

freshman year.  Cordelia, a very tactless girl with jet black hair, is a walking fashion magazine.  She only wears 

the best names in fashion and dates the most popular guys.  She and Dawn have been best friends since they

 were little.  Harmony is the epitome of a valley girl.  Blonde hair and tanned body, she lacks common sense 

and has the lowest gpa in the sophomore class.

          Lunch continued on, with everyone chatting.  The bell rang signaling the end of lunch, and the students

 reluctantly get up, and head for their next class.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

          Buffy headed towards her next class, English, with Mr. Rupert Giles.  Giles was her favorite teacher, and the only one she could tolerate.  A middle-aged Englishman, Giles was very intelligent and sparked many opinions from Buffy, causing them to constantly debate.

          Buffy walked into the room and sat down.  The other students filed in and Giles began class.

"Okay then.  What did everyone think of The Sun Also Rises?"

          A girl sitting in the back of the room raised her hand.

"I loved it.  He's so romantic."

          Buffy turned to the girl and looked at her with disgust.

"Romantic?  Hemingway?  He was an abusive, alcoholic misogynist who squandered half his life hanging around Picasso trying to nail his leftovers."

          The students groaned and Giles looked at her and sighed.  Angel spoke up from the back of the room.

"As apposed to a bitter, self-righteous hag who has no friends?"

          The class laughed and Angel slapped hands with Gunn.  Giles looked at Angel sternly.

"Quiet down now!"

          Giles began to speak again when Buffy interrupted.

"I guess in this society being male and an asshole makes you worthy of our time."

          The class snickered while Angel glared at Buffy.

Buffy looked back at Giles.

"What about Sylvia Plath, or Charlotte Bronte, or Simone de Beauvoir?"

          The door opened and everyone turned to look as Spike ran into the room out of breath.

"What'd I miss?"

Buffy looked at Spike and rolled her eyes.

"The oppressive patriarchic values that dictate our education."

          Spike nodded.

"Good."

          He turned and left the room and Giles yelled after him.

"Hey!  Come back!!"

          Finally having a good comeback at Buffy, Angel called out to Giles.

"Mr. Giles.  I there any way we can make Buffy take her Midol _before_ she comes to class?"

          After this latest disruption, Giles was very angry.  He turned to Angel and yelled.

"Someday you are going to get bitch slapped and I am not going to do a thing to stop it!"

          Then he turned to Buffy.

"And Buffy, I want to thank you for your point of view."

          Buffy nodded and smiled.

"But the next time you storm the PTA crusading for better lunch meat or whatever, I will not be there to save you from suspension!"

          Buffy's smile faded.

"Anything else?" she asked him mockingly.

"Yes.  Go to the office!"

"What?  Mr. Giles…"

"Go!"

          The students chuckled as Buffy got up and gathered her things.  When she walked by Angel, she smacked him on the head.

          In the office, Ms. Addams was busy working on her novel.

"Undulating with desire, Adrienne removed her red…"

          She stops and sighs.  She turns to her computer and retypes the rest of the sentence.

"Crimson cape…at the sight of Reginald's stiff and…"

          She pauses again and calls to her secretary.

"Judith!  What's another word for 'engorged'?"

"I'll look it up."

"Okay."

          Ms. Addams thought a moment.

"Swollen.  Turgid."

Buffy walks in and says, "Tumescent?"

          Ms. Addams looks up at Buffy.

"Perfect."

          She types her new sentence and turns to Buffy.

"So, I hear you were terrorizing Mr. Giles' class again."

"Expressing my opinion is not a terrorist action."

"The way you expressed your opinion to Scott Hope?  By the way, his testicle retrieval operation went quite well, in case you were interested."

          Buffy laughed.

"I still maintain he kicked himself in the balls."

"The point is Buffy…People perceive you as somewhat…"

"Tempestuous?"

"'Heinous bitch' is the term used most often."

          Buffy laughs and rolls her eyes.  Ms. Addams looked at her sternly.

"You might want to work on that.  Thank you."

Buffy gets up to leave.

"As always, thank you for your excellent guidance."

          As she left the room she said, "I'll let you get back to Reginald's quivering member."

          Ms. Addams looks up from her laptop.

"Quivering member,  I like that."

          Outside, everyone was congregating on the quad, getting ready to leave.  Angel was standing around talking to Gunn.  Gunn looked up.

"Virgin alert.  Your favorite."

Angel looked over and saw Dawn walking with Cordelia.  Dawn walks by and smiles flirtatiously at Angel.

"Ooh.  Looking good ladies."

          Gunn laughs.

"Oh, she's out of reach, even for you."

"No one's out of reach for me."

"You want to put money on that?"

          Angel smiles.

"Money I've got.  This I'm gonna do for fun."

          Across the quad, Jesse and Conner were watching Dawn and Angel.

"Who's that guy?"

"That's Angel O'Connor.  He's a jerk off and a model."

Conner laughs.

"A model?"

"A model.  Mostly regional stuff, but he's rumored to have a big tube sock ad coming out."

"Really?"

"Really."

          They both start laughing.

"Man, look at her.  Is she always so-"

"Vapid?"

"How can you say that?  She's totally-"

"Conceited."

"What are you talking about?  There's more to her than you think.  Look at the way she smiles and- and look at her eyes, man.  She's totally pure.  You're missing what's there."

"No, no, Conner.  What's there is a snotty little princess wearing a strategically planned sundress to make guys like us realizes that we want her, and guys like Angel realize they want to.  She, my friend, is what we will spend the rest of our lives not having.  Put her in your spank bank and move on.  Move on."

"No, no!  You're wrong about her.  I mean, not about the spanking part, but the rest, you're wrong."

"All right- I'm wrong?  You wanna take a shot?  Be my guest.  She's actually looking for a French tutor."

"Are you serious?  That's perfect!"

"Do you speak French?"

"Well, no, but I will."

          Buffy and Willow said goodbye to the girls and began walking to Buffy's car.  Angel drove by them in his red convertible and stopped.

"Hey Buffy!  Your Rambo look is out.  Didn't you read last month's Cosmo?"

          Buffy glared at him.

"Run along!"

          They walked away and Angel sped off.

          Dawn was walking in the parking lot with Cordelia.

"I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?"

          Dawn looked at Cordelia thoughtfully.

"I think you can in Europe."

          Angel pulled up next to them.

"Hey ladies.  Would you sweet young things like a ride?"

          Dawn and Cordelia looked at each other and squealed.  They climbed into Angel's car and sat down in the back.

"Hey, careful on the leather!"

          Buffy and Willow were in the car getting ready to leave.  Willow looked at Buffy.

"That's a charming new development."

"I think it's disgusting."

          As Buffy pulled out, she had to immediately slam on the brakes when Jesse drove right in front of her on his moped and stopped.

"Remove head from sphincter, then drive!" Buffy yelled.

          Jesse drove over to Conner as Buffy drove away.

"You ok?"

"Yeah.  Just a minor encounter with the shrew.  That's your girlfriend's sister."

"Wait, _that's _Dawn's sister?"

"Uh huh.  The mewling rampalian wretch herself."

          Jesse sighs.

"Stay cool, bro."

          Conner nods.

"Yeah.  See you later."

          Jesse speeds off, and has to swerve to miss a truck.  He speeds off the side of the hill.  Everyone runs to the side to watch as Jesse rolls down the hill.  When he finally stops, he shakily stands up, turning to the crowd, and throwing his hands in the air.

"Yeah!  Whoo!"

          He turns around, eyes wide, and promptly passes out.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N:  Hey!  Thanks guys for the awesome reviews!  And a big thanks to Meli, my beta! Chapter 3 

          Buffy was sitting in her favorite chair reading when Hank came in.

"Hello Elizabeth.  Make anyone cry today?"

"Sadly no.  But it's only 4:30."  She said without looking up.

          Dawn bounced in and kissed Hank on the cheek.

"Hi daddy!"

"Hello, precious."

          Buffy looked up at Dawn.

"And where have you been?"

"Nowhere."

          Hank was looking through the mail.

"Hey, what's this?  It says Columbia University."

          Buffy jumped up and grabbed the package, ripping it open.

"Oh my God!  I got in!  I got in!", she screamed.

          She ran over to the chair and plopped down in it, intent on reading the rest of the package.  Hank walked over.

"Uh honey.  That's great.  But isn't Columbia University on the other side of the country?"

"Thus the basis of its appeal.  And Willow, Tara, and the rest of the gang will be going."

"I thought you were going to stay here and go to school.  UCSunnydale, like me."

"No, _you_ decided.", Buffy said as she sat up.

"Oh ok, so what, you were just going to pick up and leave?"

"Let's hope so." Dawn said.

          Buffy glared at Dawn.

"Ask Dawn who drove her home."

          Hank looked at Buffy.

"Now Buffy, don't change the- "

He spun around and looked at Dawn.

"Drove?  Who drove you home?"

          Dawn glared at Buffy and turned to Hank.

"Now, daddy, don't get upset, but there's this boy-"

"Who's a flaming idiot.", Buffy added.

"And I think he might ask me-"

          Hank looked at Dawn.

"I think I know what he's going to ask you.  And I think I know the answer: no.  It's always no.  What is the house rule?  No dating till you graduate.  That's it."

Dawn sat down.

"Daddy, that's so unfair.  I am the only girl in school who's not dating."

"Oh, no you're not.  Your sister doesn't date."

"And I don't intend to.", Buffy said.

          Hank looked at her and smiled.

"And why is that again?"

"Have you seen the delinquents that go to our school?"

          Dawn looked at Buffy.

"Where do you come from?  Planet Loser?"

"As opposed to Planet Look at Me, Look at Me."

          Hank clapped his hands and the girls looked up.

"Ok, here's how we solve this one.  Old rule out.  New rule: Dawn can date-"

          Dawn looked at Buffy smugly as Hank finished.

"When she does.", he pointed at Buffy.

          Dawn jumped up.

"But she's a shrew!  What if she never dates?"

"Then you'll never date.  Oh, I like that.  And I'll get to sleep at night.  The deep slumber of a father whose daughters aren't out being impregnated."

          His pager went off.  As he leaves, he points at Buffy.

"We'll talk about Columbia later."

"Fine."

          Buffy stood up and headed towards the stairs to go to her room and call Willow.  Dawn chased after Hank.

"Wait, daddy!"

"Gotta go."

          He leaves and Dawn turns to Buffy.

"Can't you just find some blind, deaf retard to take you to the movies so I can have one date?"

"I'm sorry.  Looks like you'll miss out on the witty repartee of Angel "Eat me" O'Connor."

"You suck."

"You suck.", Buffy said mockingly.  She turned and continued up the stairs leaving behind a fuming Dawn.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

          Conner was trying to decipher his French text when Dawn sat down.

"Hi.  Can we make this quick?  Cecily Hall and Owen Duprey are having a incredibly horrendous breakup on the quad…again."

"Oh, yeah, um, ok.  I thought that we'd, uh, start with pronunciation, if that's alright with you."

          Dawn shook her head.

"Not the hacking and gagging and spitting part, please."

"Well, uh, there is an alternative."

"There is?"

"Yeah, French food.  We could, um, eat some together, uh, Saturday night."

          Dawn smiled.

"You're asking me out?  That's so cute.  What's your name again?"

"Conner.  Listen, I know that your dad doesn't let you date, but I thought that if it was for French class-"

"Oh, wait a minute.  Curtis-"

"Conner."

"My dad just came up with a new rule.  I can date when my sister does."

          Conner got excited.

"You're kidding.  Let me ask you, do you like horses?  Cause we have a stable and maybe you could come over and-"

"A _beaucoup_ problemo, Calvin.  In case you haven't heard, my sister is a particularly hideous breed of loser."

          Conner looked down.

"Yeah.  Yeah, I noticed she's a little…antisocial.  Why is that?"

"Unsolved mystery.  She used to be really popular, and then it was like, she got sick of it or something.  Theories abound as to why, but I am pretty sure she's just incapable of human interaction.  Plus, she's a bitch."

"Well, yeah, but I'm sure there are lots of guys who wouldn't mind going out with a difficult woman.  I mean, people jump out of airplanes and ski off cliffs.  It'd be like 'Extreme Dating'"

"You think you could find someone _that_ extreme?"

"Yeah, sure, why not?"

          Dawn gave Conner a smile.

"You would do that for me?"

"Hell, yes!", Conner said a little too excitedly.

"I-I mean, you know, I could look into it."

          Conner told Jesse his plan and Jesse compiled a list of possible guys.

"Now, I have gathered a group of guys- couldn't be more perfect.  Sunnydale's finest."

          They walked over to a group of guys.  Conner greeted them.

"Hi.  How you doin'?  Would any of you be interested in dating Buffy Summers?"

          One guy laughed.  Another just stared at him.

"I've never been that ripped.", said another.

"Maybe if we were the last two people alive…and there were no goats.  Are there goats?", another said.

          The last guy just screamed.

          Defeated, Conner and Jesse headed to class.

Conner and Jesse were in Biology lab, dissecting frogs.

"Did I not tell you it was pointless?  No one will go out with her.", Jesse said.

          Conner looked up as he saw Spike take a knife and violently stab the frog.

"Hey, what about Spike?"

"Him?  No, don't look at him, ok?  I may sit at his lunch table…but he's a criminal.  I heard he lit a state trooper on fire.  He just did a year at an England jail."

          Conner laughed.

"Well, at least he's horny."

"I'm serious man.  He's whacked.  He sold his liver on the black market for a new motorcycle."

          Conner looked up at Spike again.  Spike had turned on a Bunsen burner and was lighting a cigarette.  Xander leaned over and snatched it out of his mouth and put it out on the frog.

          Conner looked at Jesse.

"He's our guy."

          They both turned to look at Spike.  He looked up and they both quickly turned away.  Spike looked at them and continued playing with the fire.

          The next period, Conner and Jesse went to find Spike in the garage.  Conner walked over to him.

"Hi.  How you doin'?  Listen I-"

Spike turned around to face Conner with a drill in his hand.  The drill went through Conner's French book.

"Ok , later then.", Conner said and quickly walked away.

          Spike looked at the boy curiously and shrugged turning back to his work.

          The bell rang for lunch and everyone headed to the cafeteria.  Buffy sat down at a table with Willow and the others.

"Hey guys."

"Hey Buffy!", everyone greeted her.

          Buffy noticed Anya was missing.

"Where's Anya?"

          Willow rolled her eyes.

"We think she might be in a closet with that guy from our calculus class.  You know, the one who thinks he's a supervillian.  Uh, Andrew, I think."

"What is it with her?  Why does she keep going through all these guys?"

"She says that they 'provide many orgasms', or something.  You know how Anya is.", Amy answered.

          At that moment, Anya sat down looking extremely angry.

"Hey Anya.  What's wrong?", Buffy said.

"Ugh, I think Andrew is gay.  I tried to convince him to go to the closet with me, but he refused.  That little troll!", she replied huffily.

          Fred looked up.

"It'll be ok Anya.", she said.

"Yeah I know.  I'll just find someone else next period.", she said.

          The girls held back giggles as Willow changed the subject.

"So, are we Bronzing it tonight?"

"Most definitely.", Buffy said.

"Ok.  We'll meet at Tara's house at 8 and go together.", Willow said.

"I might be a little late.  I have karate practice this afternoon.", Buffy told her.

"Oh, me too.  I have to go with my aunt for some dinner thing", Anya added.

"What bands are playing tonight?", Fred asked.

"Um, I think Dingoes Ate my Baby is playing tonight, then a dj is going to take over.", Tara replied.

"Cool.", Amy added.

"They're local.  I've heard them before," Buffy said.  "That English guy, Spike, is part of it.  The one who thinks he's a badass."

"Oh yeah!  Oz is in it, too.  Don't you think he is cute?", Willow said excitedly.

"A little.  I think Xander is hot.  I bet he would give me many nice orgasms.", Anya said.

"I haven't really noticed with the whole 'staying away from guys because of heartbreak' thing.", Buffy said.

          Willow looked at her sheepishly.

"Don't worry Buffy.  You'll find the right one.  It's just a matter of time."

          Spike sat down with the guys.

"Hey bleach boy!", Xander said.

"Hey whelp.  Oz.", Spike replied.

          Oz nodded his head.

"So, are we still on for tonight?  Gig at the Bronze?", Spike asked.

"Yep.  We're setting up at 7 and playing at 8.", Oz said.

"Practice after school at my house.  I've already talked to Devon.", Xander said.

"Sounds good.  I'll be a little late though.  I need to pick up new guitar strings.", Spike told him.

"We'll wait for you.  No big.", Oz said.  Spike nodded.

"Right then.  It's a plan."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Conner and Jesse sat by themselves because they wanted to avoid Spike.  Jesse was examining Conner's French book.  He shook his head.

"How do we get him to date Buffy?"

          Conner sighed.

"I don't know.  I mean, uh, we could pay him, but we don't have any money."

"Yeah, well, what we need is a backer."

"A backer?  What's that?"

"Someone with money who's stupid."

          Angel was sitting at his usual table with Gunn, Riley and Parker.  He was sitting there drawing on his tray when Jesse sat down next to him.  The guys looked at him.

"Is that a peach fruit roll-up?  Because you don't see many-"

          As he reached over, Gunn grabbed his wrist.

"Oh, ok, yeah.  All right."  Gunn let go of his wrist.

"Are you lost?", Angel asked him.

"No, actually, I came by to chat."

          Angel shook his head.

"We don't chat."

"Well, actually, I thought that I'd run an idea by you, just to see if you're interested."

"I'm not."

"Well, hear me out."

          Angel grabbed Jesse's face and began to draw on him as he spoke.

"Now, you want Dawn, right?  But she can't go out with you because her sister is this insane head case, and no one will go out with her, right?"

"Does this conversation have a purpose?"

"What I think you need to do, is you need to hire a guy who'll go out with her.  Someone who doesn't scare so easily."  Jesse pointed at Spike a few tables away.

"That guy?", Angel asked.  "I heard he ate a live duck once."

"Everything but the beak and feet.  Clearly, he's a solid investment."

"What's in it for you?"

"Hey, I'm walking down the hall and I say hello to you, you say hello to me."

"Yeah, yeah.  I get it.  You're cool by association.  I'll think about it."

          Jesse nodded and kept sitting there.

"We're done now."

"Yeah."

          Jesse got up and went over to Conner.

"What are you doing getting him involved?"

"Relax, now, relax.  We let him pretend he's calling the shots.  While he's busy setting things up, you have time with Dawn."

"That is a good idea.  All right."  Conner chuckled and walked away quickly.

          Jesse shook his head.

"I have a dick on my face, don't I?"


	7. Chapter 6

A/N:  Thanks for the reviews guys!!  And thanks to Meli!! 

To Star-Crossed Lover1:  I didn't mean to sound bitchy about the Shakespeare thing, but that was mostly for the reviewers who got rude about it. ;)

Chapter 6 

          Spike was sitting in the gym with Xander when Angel walked up.

"Hey.  How you doing?"

          Spike just ignored Angel, and turned his head the other direction.  Angel tried again.

"So, I ate some great duck last night."

          Spike turned to Angel and glared.

"Do I know you?"

          Angel ignored him and continued.

"You see that girl?", he pointed at Buffy across the gym.  She was practicing karate moves with another guy.  Spike looked up.

"Yeah."

"That's Buffy Summers.  I want you to go out with her."

          Spike looked at Angel with a shocked expression before he burst out in hysterical laughter.  After he calmed down he replied.

"Yeah, sure, Peaches."

          He looked at Xander and shook his head, and they both chuckled.  Angel rolled his eyes.

"Look.  I can't take out her sister Dawn until Buffy starts dating.  See, their dad is seriously nuts.  He has this rule where the girls—"

          Spike interrupted.

"That's a beautiful story.  It really is.  But it's not my problem."

"Would you be willing to make it your problem if I provide generous compensation?"

          Spike laughed.

"So, you're going to pay me to take out some silly bint?"

          Angel looked momentarily confused at the use of the word 'bint'.

"Uh, yeah."

          Spike laughed again and shook his head.

"How much?"

"Twenty bucks.  Should be enough for the movies."

          Spike and Angel looked up as Buffy nailed a poor guy in the stomach.  The boy doubled over in pain and Buffy shrugged.  Angel winced.

"Uh, make that thirty."

          Spike looked at Buffy again, and then back at Angel.

"Ok, let's think about this.  We go to the movies, that's fifteen bucks.  She wants popcorn, that's fifty-three.  And she'll want Milk Duds, right?  So, we're looking at seventy-five bucks."

          Angel glared at Spike.

"This isn't a negotiation.  Take it or leave it."

"Fifty bucks and we have a deal, peaches."

          Angel rolled his eyes and gave a slight nod.  He handed Spike a fifty dollar bill.  Buffy's instructor blew the whistle, and told them to go.  The instructor turned to Buffy.

"Great roundhouse Buffy."

"Thank you Wesley."

          Buffy headed towards the bench where her things were sitting.    She took out a water bottle and gathered her things to leave.  Spike saw his opportunity and walked over.

"Hello cutie.  How are you?"

          Buffy smiled sweetly, rolling her eyes.

"Actually, I'm sweating like a pig.  And you?"

          Spike looked at her and chuckled.

"Now that's a way of getting a guy's attention."

"Yep.  It's my mission in life.  But, obviously, I struck your fancy.  So, you see, it works.  And the world makes since again."

          Buffy picked up her things and walked away.  Spike followed her.

"So, I'll pick you up on Friday then.  At nine?"

          She shook her head and laughed.  She stopped walking and turned to Spike.

"Oh, Yeah.  Right.  Friday.  Uh huh."

          Spike took this opportunity to lean over and whisper in her ear.

"I'll take you places you've never been before."

          Despite the immediate urge to hit him, Buffy found herself shivering at the sound of his voice.  To her relief, he didn't seem to notice.  She quickly regained her composure.

"Like where?"  She snapped her fingers.  "Oh, I know.  I bet you take all the girls to Willy's bar.  Ugh, do you even know my name?"

          Spike looked at her.

"I know a lot more than you think, blondie."

"Don't call me that.  And about you knowing me, doubtful.  Very doubtful."

          Buffy turned and walked away leaving Spike staring after her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Conner and Jesse were sitting across the gym.  They watched as Spike hit on Buffy and the conversation that followed.  Conner saw Buffy say something to Spike, then turn abruptly and leave.  Spike didn't look too happy.  Conner shook his head.

"We.  Are.  Screwed."

          Jesse looked over, looking equally disappointed.

"Hey.  I don't want to hear that attitude.  You need to be more upbeat.  More optimistic."

          Conner rolled his eyes and humored Jesse.

"We're screwed!", he said, making a vain attempt at sounding cheerful.

"Yeah.  That's it.  Optimistic!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Spike arrived at Xander's house just in time to hear him recounting the events in the gym to Oz.

"And then, Buffy was like, 'You don't know me!'.  And then she left.  Man, she looked pissed."  Xander looked up as Spike entered.  "Oh, hey man."

          Spike nodded at Xander.  Oz looked at Spike.

"So, let's see if I have this right:  Angel is paying you to go out with Buffy, just so he can take out her sister Dawn?"

          Spike nodded and sat down with his guitar.

"She's a tough girl, Spike.  It won't be easy.  I mean, if you pull the wrong move, you could get _castrated_.  Remember Scott Hope?", Xander said chuckling.

          They looked up as Devon walked in.

"Alright dudes, let's practice."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Buffy went home and took a quick shower.  When she was done, she put on a black leather skirt and a black, backless halter top.  She put on some light makeup and went downstairs.

          She left to go to Tara's house.  The entire drive, she kept thinking about Spike.

'_Why would he ask me out?  He's never bothered to talk to me before._'

          She just brushed it off as a momentary lapse of sanity and figured it would probably never happen again.  She parked in front of Tara's house and got out.  She went to the door and rang the bell.  The door opened.

"Hi Buffy!", Tara greeted her.

"Hey Tara.  So, is everyone ready to go?"

          Willow walked up.

"You betcha."

          Anya was looking in a compact reapplying her lipstick.

"Well, I sure am ready to dance with a lot of guys.  Maybe get orgasms."

They looked at her.  Fred broke the silence.

"So, who's car are we taking?"

"We can take mine." Buffy said.

          Amy walked in and kissed Tara on the cheek, then turned to the group.

"Let's go!" she said.

          They all grabbed their things and headed out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          The girls entered the Bronze just as Dingoes Ate my Baby began the third song of the set.  Buffy saw Spike onstage and her heart skipped a beat.

_'Whoa.  What was that.  God, he looks hot_.'

The girls found a table and sat down.  They listened to the band play before deciding to dance.

          The dance floor was crowded as they made their way towards the front where there were fewer people.  As the Dingoes went into another song, Buffy looked at Spike, but when he saw her looking, she turned around and continued dancing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Spike saw Buffy on the dance floor.  She was dancing with her friends and laughing.  She looked at him once or twice, but she would quickly look away.

_'Damn, she looks good.'_ , he thought as he continued playing.

          Oz was on the other side of the stage playing his guitar.  He looked up and out into the dance floor, his eyes scanning the crowd.  Then he saw her. She had flame red hair and a beautiful smile.  He watched her as she danced with her friends, one of them he recognized as the infamous Buffy.

          Devon stopped singing as Spike and Oz kept playing.  Oz called to Devon.

"Hey.  Who's that?" he pointed to Willow.

"Uh, Willow something, I think.  She's in my Biology class.  I copy her notes."

          Devon went back to the microphone.  Oz smiled, watching the girl intently.

The Dingoes ended their set and the crowd applauded.  The exited the stage.

          Devon left, leaving Spike, Xander, and Oz.

"Buffy's here." Spike told them.

          Oz looked at him.

"Well, maybe you should introduce us to her and her friends."

"Oz, does this have anything to do with a certain red head that you were so blatantly staring at?" Xander questioned.

          Oz looked at him.

"Yeah.  I want to meet her and I figured that if Spike went to talk with Buffy it would be a good excuse."

          Spike looked at them.

"Well, then, let's go over and chat."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          The girls left the dance floor and went back to their table and sat down.

They ordered drinks, and were sitting there talking about the Spike situation.

"I dunno, Buffy.  Maybe you should give him a chance." Tara told her.

          Buffy looked at her.

"Nuh uh.  I keep telling you, me plus any guy equals total heartbreak." , she said glumly.

"How do you know for sure it won't work out?" Anya questioned.

"Just…because!  Remember, the last guy I was in love with slept with me, cheated on me, and left me.  I'm not gonna take that chance again."

"Buffy, that was Angel." Tara told her.

"Angel's a prick." Anya told her.

 "Come on Buffy, you never know, Spike could be the right guy.  You'll never find out though if you never try." Willow told her.

          Buffy looked at Willow hopefully.

"I'll think about it.", she replied.

          Anya looked over Buffy's shoulder.  She saw Spike walking over with two other guys.

"Well, Buffy.  It looks like you have a chance right now." Anya told her.

"Huh?  What are you—"

          Spike walked up to the table.

"Hello blondie."

          She jumped at the sound of his voice.  She turned around and looked at him.

"I told you not to call me that.  What do you want?"

          Anya rolled her eyes.

"Well, that idea went to hell quick."

          The girls held back giggles as Spike looked over.

"What?", he asked Anya.

"Oh nothing."

          He turned to Buffy.

"So, pet.  Aren't introductions in order?"

          Buffy rolled her eyes.  She went around the table introducing everyone.  They all looked at Spike and said hello.

"So, what about your friends, Spike?"

"These are my friends, and bandmates, Xander and Oz."

"Hey" Xander said.

          Oz smiled and nodded looking at Willow.  She nervously smiled back.

"So, would you like to sit down?" Willow asked them.

"Sure." Oz said.

          The guys sat down and they began talking.  The time passed by too quickly.  About two hours later, they all stood up to leave and said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Buffy dropped off everyone and went home.  She was in the bathroom washing her face when Dawn walked in.  She circled Buffy, looking her over.

"Have you ever considered a new look?  Something other than leather and dark colors?  You know, something a little more girly?  You could have a lot of potential under all of that hostility."

          Buffy rolled her eyes.

"I'm not hostile.  I'm annoyed.  You forget, I don't care what other people think."

          Buffy watched as Dawn brushed her hair.

"You don't have to always be what they want you to be.", she told her.

          Dawn turned around and faced Buffy.

"I happen to like being adored thank you very much."

          Buffy noticed the locket around Dawn's neck.  She thought it looked vaguely familiar.

"Where'd you get the locket?"

"It's Mom's."

          Remembering the locket, anger filled Buffy.

"So what?  You've been hiding it for three years?", she yelled, tears threatening to spill.

"No.  Daddy found it in a drawer last week."

"So, you're just gonna start wearing her locket now?"

"It's not like she's going to come back to claim it!  Besides, it looks good on me." Dawn said, admiring her reflection in the mirror.

          Buffy started to shake.  She gritted her teeth and glared at Dawn.

"Trust me, it doesn't!"

          She practically ran from the bathroom.  She went in to her bedroom and slammed the door just as tears began streaming down her cheeks.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

          It was Saturday morning.  Buffy woke up and took a shower and got dressed and left.  She went to her favorite record store on Main Street.  As she was leaving the store, she saw Spike leaning against her car.

          Her mind wandered back to what Willow had told her the night before.  Spike saw her and stood up.

"Nice ride.  Vintage fenders."

"Are you following me?" Buffy asked.

"I was in the laundromat.  I saw your car and thought I would stop and say hi."

          Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Hi.", she said mockingly.

          As she was getting ready to open her car door, Spike slid over and blocked her.

"Not a big talker, huh?"

"It depends on the topic."

          Spike inched closer until their faces were only a few inches apart.

"You're not afraid of me, are you?"

"Why would I be afraid of you?"

"Well, most people are."

"Well, I'm not."

          Spike decided to tease her a little more.

"Well, maybe you're not afraid of me, but I'm sure you've thought about me naked."

          Buffy stepped back and looked at him mockingly.

"Am I that transparent?  I want you.  I need you."

          She opened her car door, shoving Spike out of the way.  Spike threw his hands in the air and walked away.  Just as Buffy was getting ready to back up, Angel parked behind her, blocking her exit.

"What is it, Asshole Day?" Buffy yelled.  As Angel walked by, she asked, "Do you mind?"

          Angel laughed.

"Not at all."

_'Oh, I'll show him.' _Buffy thought.

She revved the engine and slammed on the gas, crashing into Angel's car.  Sahe pulled back up, revealing a huge hole in the driver's side door.  Angel ran up to the car.

"You bitch!"

          Spike, having witnessed the beautiful scene, began laughing.  Buffy giggled, then she shrugged.

"Whoops."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Hank stalked by Buffy.

"'Whoops'?  My insurance doesn't cover PMS, Elizabeth!"

          Buffy sighed.

"Well, tell them I had a seizure."

          Hank started pacing again.

"Is this because of Columbia?  Are you punishing me because I want you to stay close to home?"

"I'm not punishing you.  But I do want you to stop making my decisions for me."

"I'm your father.  It's my right."

"So what I want doesn't matter?"

"Elizabeth, you're eighteen.  You don't know what you want.  And you won't know what you want until you're 45.  And even if you get it, you'll be too old to use it!"

          Buffy stood up, angry.

"I want to go to an East Coast school!  I want you to trust me to make my own decisions!  And I want you to stop trying to control my life just because you can't control yours!"

          Hank looked at her.

"You know what I want?—"

          His pager beeped.  As he headed out the door, he turned back to Buffy.

"We'll finish this later."

"Oh, I can't wait!" Buffy said in mock excitement.

          She began to go up to her room when Dawn ran up.

"Did you maim Angel's car?"

"Yep.  Looks like you'll have to take the bus."

          Buffy rolled her eyes and continued upstairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Monday, Spike was standing at his locker when Angel walked up.

"When I pay someone fifty bucks I expect results."

"Yeah.  I'm on it." Spike told him.

"Watching that bitch violate my car doesn't count as a date.  Now, if you don't get any, I don't get any.  So get some."

          Angel walked away and Spike called after him.

"I just upped my price.  One hundred bucks.  In advance."

          Angel glared at him.

"Forget it."

          He turned to leave and Spike spoke again.

"Well, then forget her sister."

          Knowing he had Angel then, Spike smirked.  Angel walked over and gave Spike another fifty bucks.

"You better hope you are as smooth as you think you are."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          The next period, Conner and Jesse cautiously crept into the garage looking for Spike.  When they saw him, they stopped and looked at each other nervously.

"Go." Jesse told Conner.

"No, you go.  I went last time."

          At Jesse's look, Conner sighed.

"Fine.  I'll go.  But if I lose any body parts, you're paying for them."

          Conner walked up to Spike, with Jesse following.

"We know what you're trying to do with Buffy Summers."

          Spike looked at Conner and chuckled.

"Is that right?  What are you going to do about it?"

"Help you out."

"And why's that?"

          Cowering behind Conner, Jesse answered.

"The situation is, my man Conner has a major crush on Dawn Summers."

          Spike looked at Conner.

"What is it with this bint?"

          Jesse continued.

"I think I speak correctly when I say that Conner's love is pure, purer than Angel O'Connor's."

          Spike sighed and shook his head.

"Look, I'm only in this for the cash.  Angel can shag whoever he wants."

"Hey!  There will be no shagging!" Conner told him. 

          Jesse pushed past Conner.

"Spike, let me explain something to you.  We set this whole thing up so Conner can get the girl.  Angel is just a pawn."

          Spike considered what they were offering.

"So, you two are going to help me tame the wild beast?"

          They nodded.

"Absolutely."  Jesse replied.  "We'll do some research, find out what she likes.  We're your guys!"

          Conner stammered.

"Uh, he means that in a non-prison movie way."

          Jesse shook his head.

"Uh, let's see here."  He took a flyer out of his pocket.  "Riley Finn is having a party this Friday night.  It's the perfect opportunity to take out Buffy."

          Spike nodded.

"I'll think about it." , he said as he walked away.

          Conner looked at Jesse.

"I hope this works."

"Trust me.  It'll work." Jesse told him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Angel was standing with Dawn at his locker.

"Now this is really important.  Which one do you like better?"

          He held up two pictures of himself, with identical poses, except in one shot his shirt was black, and the other was white.

          Dawn looked at them, not really seeing any difference except the color of the shirt.

"Um…I think I like the white shirt better."

"Yeah.  It's more—"

"Pensive?"

"Damn.  I was going for thoughtful."

          Dawn looked at him, barely containing a giggle.

"So, are you going to Riley's party Friday night?"

"Yeah, I might."

"Good, because you know, I'm not gonna bother if you won't be there."

          Dawn grinned widely.

"So, see you there?"

"Yeah."

"All right."

          Dawn left and headed to her next class.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 

          Dawn and Conner met for another French lesson.

"So, have you heard about Riley Finn's party?"  Conner asked.

"Yeah.  And I really, really, really wanna go.  But you know I can't.  Now unless Buffy does."

"Yeah.  I know.  I'm working on that, but so far, she's not going for my guy.  She's not a—"

"KD Lang fan?  No.  I found a picture of Christian Slater in her drawer once, so I'm pretty sure she's not harboring same sex tendancies."

"Oh, ok.  So she likes pretty guys?"

I don't know.  All I have ever heard her say is that she would die before dating a guy that smokes."

"Ok.  So, no smoking.  Anything else?"

"You're asking me to investigate the inner workings of my sister's twisted mind?  I don't think so."  Dawn rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well.  We have nothing else to go on.  We have to get behind enemy lines here."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Dawn was looking through the drawers in Buffy's room while Conner fidgeted nervously.

"Ok.  Here we go.  Class schedule, reading list, date book, concert tickets."

          She handed him the items and went to the other side of the room and began to look through those drawers.

"Aha!  Black panties."  Dawn said holding up a lacy thong.

"Uh, what does that tell us?"  Conner asked.

"That she wants to have sex, that's what."  Dawn told him.

"What?  Oh, come on.  She could just like the color.  She does wear a lot of black."

"Conner, you don't buy sexy, black lingerie unless you want someone to see it."

"Oh.  So, can I see your room."

          Dawn stood up.

"No!  A girl's room is very private."

          Disappointed, Conner nodded.

"Oh, ok."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Conner and Jesse nervously entered Willy's bar.

"So, is this what a bar looks like?"  Conner asked, reaching into a jar for a peppermint.  Jesse slapped his hand.

"Don't touch that!  You could get hepatitis!"

          They saw Spike playing pool with Xander and Oz and walked over.

"So, what have you got for me?"  Spike asked them.

"A little insight to a very complicated girl."  Conner told him.

          Jesse looked at Spike as he took a drink of his beer.

"Excuse me.  Just a quick question before we get started here.  Should you be drinking when you don't have a liver?"

          Spike looked at Jesse confused.

"What?"

"Nothing.  Nevermind."  Jesse said.

          Conner shook his head.

"Anyway.  First thing:  Buffy hates guys who smoke."

          Conner reached over and took the cigarette out of Spike's hand.

"So, you're saying I'm a non-smoker?"

"Yeah, well, just for now."  Jesse told him.

"And here's another problem:  Buffy likes pretty guys."

          Spike looked at Conner and Jesse.

"Are you saying I'm not pretty?"

          Conner and Jesse laughed nervously.

"Of course you're pretty!"  Conner told him.

"Yeah, he's a gorgeous guy!"  Jesse told Conner.  Conner continued.

"Ok.  Here we go.  Likes: pasta, feminist prose, and angry girl music.  Here's a list of CD's she has in her room."

          Spike looked at the paper.

"So, what you're saying is, I have to buy her some noodles and a book, and listen to some chits who can't play their instruments?"

"Yeah, well, her favorite band is playing at the Bronze tonight."

"Wait, I can't sit there and listen to that crap!"  Spike told them.

"Just for one night."  Jesse said.

"She has a black lace thong, if that helps."  Conner told him.

          Spike looked at Conner and chuckled.

_'Wouldn't mind seeing that.'_  Spike thought.

"Hey, couldn't hurt, right?"  Jesse said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike entered the Bronze.  It was filled with mostly girls, and Spike felt a little emasculated as he walked through the crowd to the bar.  He ordered a drink and turned to look for Buffy.

He saw her dancing with Willow and the others.  He watched her dance, loving the way she moved to the beat.  When the song was over, Buffy headed towards the bar.

Spike turned around and bent over his drink.  Buffy walked up and ordered a bottle of water.  She saw Spike and sighed.  She got her water and walked over to him.

"If you're planning on asking me out again, you may as well get it over with.", she told him.

          Spike looked up.

"Do you mind?  You're kind of ruining the moment here."

"You're not surrounded by your usual cloud of smoke."

"Yeah.  I quit.  I hear they are bad for you."

"Really?" Buffy said sarcastically.

"You know these guys are no Velvet Chain or Letters to Cleo, but they're not bad."

          Spike stood up and headed out onto the dance floor.  Intrigued, Buffy followed.

"You know who Velvet Chain is?", she asked.

"Why?  Don't you?"

          Buffy stared at him not knowing what to say.

"I was watching you out there earlier.  I've never seen you look so sexy."

          He said the last part just as the song ended.  Everyone laughed and Buffy blushed.

"Come to Riley's party with me."

"You never give up do you?", she asked.

"Was that a yes?"

"No."

"Well, was that a no?"

"No."

          Buffy laughed and walked away.

"So, I'll pick you up at nine then?"

          Not hearing him, Buffy waved at him and continued walking through the crowd.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was Friday night.  Dawn and Cordelia were sneaking down the stairs towards the door.

"You should have used the window."  Hank said from the sofa.

"Hi Daddy." Dawn said.

"Hi."  He stood up and walked over to the girls.  "So, where are we going?"

"If you must know, a small study group of friends."

"Otherwise known as an orgy?"

"Mr. Summers, it's just a party." Cordelia said.

"And Hell is just a sauna."

          Hank turned to Buffy as she came down the stairs.

"Do you know anything about a party?"

          Buffy shook her head.

"People expect me to be there."  Dawn said.

"Buffy's not going, you're not going." Hank told her.

          Dawn stalked over to Buffy.

"Can't you just be normal?"

"Define normal."

"Riley's party.  Normal.  Dating.  Normal."  Dawn said.

          Buffy looked at Hank.

"Riley's party is just an excuse for the idiots at our school to drink beer and rub up against each other in hopes of distracting themselves from the pathetic emptiness—"

"Of their meaningless, consumer driven lives."  Dawn and Cordelia finished.

"Can you go just this once?  Please.  Buffy, please?" Dawn pleaded.

          Buffy sighed.

"Fine.  I'll make an appearance.  I'm gonna go change."

          Buffy went up the stairs and Dawn and Cordelia squealed.

"Oh, no it's started." Hank said.

"Daddy, it's just a party." Dawn said.

"I want you to wear the belly."

          Dawn gasped.

"Daddy, no."

"Just for a few minutes.  Just so you'll know the weight of your decisions."

          Hank put the belly on Dawn.  Buffy came down the stairs wearing black leather pants and a red backless tube top.

"We're going now." , she announced, putting on her jacket.

"Just a minute."  Hank told her.

"Now, no drinking.  No drugs.  No tattoos.  No kissing.  No piercings.  No ritual animal slaughters of any kind.  Oh, no I'm giving them ideas."

          Buffy opened the door just as Spike was about to knock.  Buffy looked at him in shock.

"What are you doing here?"

"Nine o'clock, right?"  At Buffy's confused look he added, "Well, I'm early."

"Whatever.  I'm driving."

          Buffy walked out.  Spike looked at Dawn and chuckled.

"Who knocked up your sister?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Conner and Jesse were getting ready for the party.

"So then, Dawn says that I was right.  That she didn't wear the Kenneth Coles with that dress, and that—this is a direct quote—'Really meant something.'"

"You told me that already.  Stop being so self centered for a minute.  How do I look?" Jesse asked.

          Conner chuckled.

"Like my great uncle Milton."

"So should I lose the tie?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe you're right.  I'm just so nervous.  And I'm also very excited.  I'm nervous.  I'm excited.  It's all very mixed up.  I don't know what to do."

"All right!  Calm down!"  Conner told him.

"The last party I went to was at Chucky Cheese.  You wanna talk about some fun.  That was a good time."

          Jesse picked up a hair dryer and began to blow dry his already dry hair.  Conner looked at him and shook his head and continued getting ready.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

          Riley's parents were gone for the weekend, leaving a perfect opportunity to throw a party.  Everyone was dancing and drinking when Conner and Jesse walked in.  Jesse flitted about, going from girl to girl trying to start a conversation, but failing miserably.  Conner looked at Jesse in amusement, holding back laughter as Jesse bounced up and down trying to dance.  Conner looked around anxiously, looking for Dawn.  They continued walking through the house.  Jesse stopped next to a girl.

"Hey there, I'm thinking about getting a Tercel.  That's a Toyota."

          The girl looked at him rolling her eyes and walking away.

"Its got dual side airbags and a spacious backseat!" he yelled after her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Buffy walked up the stairs to the second floor, with Spike following close behind.  A drunken girl crashed into Spike, leaving him momentarily distracted.  Buffy continued walking and went into another room.

_'Maybe he'll stop following me.'_  Buffy thought to herself.  She cringed when she heard a voice behind her.

"Sweet."

Angel circled her.

"Looking hot tonight, Buffy."

Buffy rolled her eyes and stepped around him.  Angel followed.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"Away.", she told him.

"Your sister here?"

Buffy glared at him.

"Stay away from my sister."

"Oh, I'll stay away from your sister, but I can't guarantee she'll stay away from me", he grinned.

Angel walked away leaving Buffy glaring after him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Everyone was gathered in the living room watching and cheering as Gunn and some other guy crashed through a window.  Buffy made her way into the living room.

"Hey Buffy.  Look who found me", Angel grinned.

Buffy looked at Dawn as Angel led her away.

"Dawn, wait."

"Please do not address me in public." Dawn told her.

"No.  There's something I need to tell you."

"I am busy enjoying my adolescence.  Why don't you go and do the same?" Dawn said as she stormed off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Spike watched as Buffy confronted Dawn.  When Dawn walked away, Spike walked over.  A boy walked by with a tray full of shots.  Buffy grabbed one and drank it, making a face at the taste.  Spike smirked.

"What's this then?  I've been looking all over for you, pet."

Buffy coughed.

"Don't call me that.  I'm getting trashed, man.  Isn't that what you're supposed to do at these parties?"

Spike shrugged.

"I dunno.  I say do what you want to do."

Buffy shook her head.

"Funny.  You're the only one.  Later."

Buffy walked away, grabbing more shots as she headed up the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Jesse bounced his way into the room.  He went over to two girls who were dancing.

"Lord of the Dance!"

The two girls walked away.  Jesse shook his head.

"Should've kept the tie."

Conner walked up and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey.  Have you seen her?"

Jesse stopped bouncing.

"Relax."

"Relax?  I'm fine."

Jesse pointed at Dawn and Cordelia coming down the stairs.

"Follow the love."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Conner walked over to Dawn.

"Hey Dawn."

Dawn looked up.

"Oh, hi Conner."

Cordelia looked at Dawn curiously.  Dawn stuttered.  She grabbed Cordelia's arm and pushed her towards Conner.

"So, Conner.  Have you met Cordelia?"

Conner nodded.

"Uh, yeah.  I think we have art together."

Cordelia looked at him.

"Neat."

Conner looked at Dawn.

"So, you, uh, look amazing."

"And we all know I look amazing." Angel walked up behind the girls.

The girls laughed.  Angel turned to Dawn.

"Come on, Dawn.  Everyone's gathering in the living room."

He pulled Dawn away.  Dawn looked at Conner.

"I'll see you around ok?"

They walked away, leaving behind a very disappointed Conner.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Angel and Dawn were walking through the house.  Angel was going on and on about his modeling gigs.  Dawn was bored out of her mind.

"And then I have this Sears catalog gig.  Oh, and the tube sock gig is going to be huge.  And I am up for a hemorrhoid cream next week.  I know, it sounds kinda gross, but I get to do some acting."

          They walked over to a pyramid of beer cans.  Angel set his down on top, doing a ridiculous pose.   Dawn sat down in a chair.

"Hey, did you see that?" he asked Dawn.

          Dawn looked up.

"Oh, uh, yeah."

"That was for the underwear ad.  I'll show you the bathing suit one."

          He posed again.

"See the difference?"

          Dawn looked at him, rolling her eyes and turned around.  Angel shrugged and turned to a group of girls behind him.

"Fine.  I'll show you guys."

Dawn grabbed Cordelia's arm as she walked by.

"Does this party all of a sudden suck, or is it just me?"

          Cordelia looked at her like she had grown another head.

"Um, no.  What's your problem?"


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Spike was looking for Buffy.  He stopped at a couple making out.

"Hey, have you seen Buffy?"

          The boy looked up and shook his head.  Spike sighed and continued looking.  He found her downstairs getting another drink.  She swayed, momentarily losing her balance and falling into Spike.  He grabbed her and helped her regain her balance.  Then he grabbed her drink.  

"Hey, Buffy.  Why don't you let me have this one, alright?

          Buffy snatched her glass back.

"No!  This one's mine!"

          Buffy walked off.  As Spike was getting ready to go after her, Angel stopped him.

"Hey man, how did you get her to do it?"

"Do what?" Spike asked, looking for Buffy.

"Act like a human."

          Spike was going to reply, but both guys looked over when everyone started cheering.

          Buffy stood up on the dining room table and started to dance.  Angel looked at Spike, then back at Buffy.  He ran into the room, and Spike followed.

"See this?" Angel asked him, pointing to Buffy.

          Buffy kept dancing, and Spike watched.  As she dipped down, she came up too fast and hit her head on the chandelier and passed out.  Spike caught her as she fell off the table.  She woke up and looked at Spike.

"Are you ok?" he asked her, standing her on her feet.

"I'm fine." she told him, falling again.

          Spike shook his head and put his arm around her to support her.

"You're not fine.  Come on."

          He led her outside.

"I just need to lie down."

"No, you don't.  You'll just go to sleep."

          Buffy grinned.

"Sleep is good."

"No, it's not.  Especially if you have a concussion."

          He sat her on a bench outside.

"Sit here.  We need to talk."

          Conner walked up.

"Hey, can I see you for a second?"

"I'm a little busy right now." Spike said pointing to Buffy, who was holding her head.

"Just a second, ok?"

"Fine.", he told Conner.

          They walked away and Spike looked at Conner.

"What?"

"Look, the whole thing is off, ok?"

"What are you talking about?" Spike asked him.

          Conner sighed.

"She never wanted me.  She wanted Angel the whole time."

"Conner, do you like the girl?"

"Yeah."

"And isn't she worth all of this trouble?"

"I thought she was…"

"Either she is or she isn't.  See, first of all, Angel isn't half the man you are.  And second, don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want.  Go for it."

          Spike turned to walk away, and Conner started chuckling.  Spike looked at him.

"What?"

"When did you get so wise?" he asked him.

"Hey, I've always been wise." Spike said looking hurt.

"Whatever, man.  Uh, you might wanna-"

          Conner pointed to Buffy, who was slowly falling over.  Spike ran over and quickly stood her up.

"Come on, luv.  Let get you away from here."

          Spike led Buffy over to a set of swings in the yard, and away from everyone else.

"This is so patronizing."

          Spike laughed.

"Leave it to you to use big words when you're smashed."

"Why are you doing this?" Buffy asked him.

"I told you, you might have a concussion."

"Huh.  You wouldn't care if I ever woke up."

"Yes I would.  I wouldn't have anyone to follow around all the time, now would I?  Besides, then I would have to start taking out girls who actually like me."

          He sat Buffy down in a swing.  Buffy looked at him and grinned.

"Like you could find a girl that likes you."

          Spike chuckled.

"See?  That there.  Who needs love and affection when I have blind hatred?"

          Spike stood next to her as she sat there.  Buffy lost her balance and fell backwards.  Spike caught her and sat her up.

"Whoops.", Buffy said, laughing.

          Spike sat down in the swing next to Buffy.

"So, why did you let him get to you?"

"Who?" Buffy asked in confusion.

"Angel."

"I hate him."

"Well, you've chosen the perfect revenge- getting smashed."

          Buffy laughed.

"Well, you know what they say."

"Yeah, what do they say?"

          Spike looked over at Buffy, who had passed out again.  He leaned over and grabbed her face.

"Buffy?  Wake up, luv."

          Buffy opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Wow.  You have really beautiful eyes."

          Spike chuckled.  He leaned over a little more, getting ready to kiss her, when she shoved him out of the way and started to throw up.

          He shook his head, sat down on the swing, and patted her on the back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Cordelia looked at Dawn.

"I don't know if we should go.  I really don't wanna leave." Cordelia whined.

          Dawn was going to reply when Angel walked up.

"Hey, a bunch of us are going over to Gunn's beach house.  You coming?"

          Dawn looked at her watch.

"Um, I have to be home in twenty minutes."

          Cordelia looked at Angel.

"Well, I don't have to be home until two."

          Angel nodded and looked at Dawn.

"One more chance."

          Dawn pretended to look upset.

"I can't.  Damn."

          Cordelia grinned.

"That's a shame!"

"You wanna go?" Angel asked Cordelia.

"Sure."

          Angel put his arm around Cordelia and started to leave.

"Cordelia!"

          Cordelia smirked at Dawn.

"Hey, you passed."

          They walked away leaving Dawn.

"Bitch."

          Conner walked by.

"Hey.  Have fun tonight?"

"Tons.", Dawn said sadly.

          Conner kept walking.

"Hey, Conner?" Dawn yelled after him.

          He stopped and turned around.

"Um, do you think you could give me a ride home?"


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 

          Spike drove Buffy home.  They were both silent, listening to the radio.  Spike pulled up in front of Buffy's house.

"So…" Spike said trying to break the silence.

"Uh, thanks for driving me home." Buffy told him.

"No problem, luv.  How are you feeling?"

"Tired.  Sick.  Tomorrow will be hell, with the hangover and all." Buffy chuckled.

"Yeah, well, that tends to happen." Spike laughed.  "Buffy, I've been meaning to ask you, uh, would you like to go out with me sometime?  To a movie or something?"

_'Oh my God!  He's asking me out!'_  Buffy thought.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." she answered nervously.

"So, what's up with your dad?  Is he a real pain in the ass?" Spike asked, changing the subject.

"Sometimes.  I know he means well, but, he just wants me to be someone I'm not."

"Yeah, who?"

"Dawn."

"Oh, Dawn.  Well, if it helps, I don't really think she is as perfect as everyone thinks she is."

          Buffy looked at Spike and smiled.

"You know, you are not as horrible as I thought you were."

          Spike smiled and leaned towards Buffy.  He leaned in to kiss her, and then remembered the reason why he was with her in the first place: money.  He felt guilty, so he pulled away.

"Maybe we should do this another time." he said, not daring to look at Buffy.

          Buffy looked at him, tears coming to her eyes.

_'Not again.  How could I be so stupid?  Why did I think he would be different than the others?'_ she thought, fighting the tears that threatened to spill.

          Buffy opened the car door and got out, running into the house and slamming the door.  Spike got out of Buffy's car and got into his own.

_'Bloody hell.  Good going dumbass.'_ he thought.

          On the way home, he was busy thinking of ways to make it up to Buffy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Conner drove Dawn home.  He pulled up in front of the house.

"You never wanted to go horseback riding with me, did you?" Conner asked Dawn.

"Yes I did." Dawn answered.

"No you didn't."

"Ok, not really."

"Well, that's all you had to say." Conner told her.  "Have you always been this selfish?"

          Dawn looked guilty, and answered softly, "Yes."

"Just because you're beautiful doesn't mean you can treat people like they don't matter.  I mean, I really liked you.  I defended you when people called you conceited, I helped you when you asked me to, I learned French for you and then you just blow me off so you could just-"

          Conner was cut off when Dawn reached for him and kissed him.  When she pulled away, she looked at him shyly and smiled.

"I should go.  Thanks for driving me home, Conner."

          Dawn got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk with a huge smile on her face.

          Conner sat in the car, momentarily stunned.  He blinked, and then slowly smiled.

"And I'm back in the game!" he yelled, driving off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Buffy woke up the next morning, exhausted from crying herself to sleep.  She heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

          Willow walked in.

"Hey Buffy.  I came by to see how things went last night."  She looked at Buffy.  "Wow.  It must've been some party."

"Oh god, Will.  I got completely wasted last night." Buffy told her.

"Buffy, why did you get drunk?" Willow asked, shaking her head.

"Angel."

          Willow nodded, somewhat understanding.

"Ok.  So what did he do?"

"He keeps coming on to Dawn.  She doesn't need to mess with him.  He's bad news.  And when I tried to tell Dawn about him, she just blew me off.  Hence the tequila party."  Buffy told her, smiling sadly.

"I'm sorry, Buffy.  Maybe you could try to talk to her later."

          Buffy nodded slowly.  Willow looked at her curiously.

"Ok.  What else happened?"

"What do you mean?  I told you already."

"I know, drunk because of Angel, blah, blah, blah.  But something else is bothering you."

          Buffy sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get out of this.

"Last night, Spike helped me walk to the car, and he drove me home.  We talked for a few minutes, and we almost kissed, but he pulled away."  Buffy said quickly, a tear slipping from her eye.  "You know, I thought he actually liked me.  I guess I was wrong."

"Buffy, maybe he was nervous.  Or-or, maybe he wanted to take it slow.  I'm sure there is a good excuse."

"He better hope so.", Buffy told her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          It was Monday.  Buffy walked into English class, ignoring the taunts from the other students.

"Hey baby, why don't you hop on this desk and give us another show."  Angel told her.

          Buffy rolled her eyes and sat down.  Giles walked in.

"Hello everyone.  I trust you all had a good weekend."

"I don't know.  Why don't you ask Buffy?" Angel said, causing the class to snicker.

"Unless she kicked the crap out of your sorry butt, I don't want to hear about it!" Giles told him.  Angel's smirk faded.

"Alright, turn to page 173 in your textbook, _Sonnet 141._  Everyone pay attention.

          _'In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes._

_          For they and thee a thousand errors note._

_          But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise._

_          Who in despite of view is pleas'd to dote.'"_

          Giles stopped reading and looked at the class.

"Now, I want you to write your own version of the sonnet."

          Giles turned to write the assignment on the board.  Buffy raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms.-I-have-an-opinion-about-everything."

"Do you want this in iambic pentameter?"

          Giles looked at her suspiciously.

"You're not going to fight me on this?"

"No, I think it is a really good assignment." she told him.

"You're just messing with me, aren't you?"

"No, I'm really looking forward to this assignment."

"Get out of my class."

"What?"

"Out.  Get out.  I will not tolerate sarcasm in my class.  Go.  See Ms. Addams.  Go!" he told her, a bit flustered by the fact that she agreed with him.

          Buffy shook her head.  She gathered her things and walked out.

"Thanks, Mr. Giles."  Angel said.

"Shut up."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 

Conner was standing at Jesse's locker talking to him.  Jesse told a joke and Conner laughed.  He looked up and saw Dawn walking down the hall.  She smiled at him and kept walking.

"Did you see that?"

          Jesse looked at Conner.

"See what?"

"She smiled at me!  I mean, she actually smiled at _me_." Conner said giddily.

          Jesse chuckled.

"Yeah.  Wow.  Good for you.  So anyway, the mouse said to the elephant-"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Fred opened her locker.  She was a huge Shakespeare fan, and had huge posters all over her locker.  Jesse decided to take advantage of this, and tried to get some information on Buffy.  He walked over.

"Hello.  Wow, cool picture." he said pointing to a poster.

          Fred looked at him, not sure what to say.  Jesse continued, quoting Shakespeare.

_"'And who could refrain, that had a heart to love, and in that heart--'"_

_"'Courage to make love known.'"_ Fred finished, smiling.

"_Macbeth_, right?"

"Right.", she answered, blushing.

          Jesse nodded.

"So, I have this friend, and he likes your friend-"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Spike, Conner, and Jesse sat on the bleachers in the gym watching Buffy practice.  They watched as she viciously punched a dummy.

"What did you do to her?" Conner asked.

"I didn't do anything.  She would've been too drunk to remember, anyway."

"But I thought the plan was working."

          Spike shrugged.

"What do you care?  I thought you wanted out."

"Yeah, well, I did.  But that was until she kissed me." Conner said smiling.

"Dawn kissed you?"

          Conner nodded.

"Excuse me!  Look out!"

          They looked up and saw Jesse pushing his way through a crowd of basketball players.  He made his way over and sat down.

"All right.  I talked to Fred.  I got the scoop."

"And?" Spike asked.

"Well, she 'hates him with the fire of a thousand suns', and that's a direct quote."

"Thanks whelp.  That's very comforting of you."

          Jesse shrugged.

"Well, don't worry.  Maybe she needs a day to cool off." Conner said.

          They heard a loud crash and looked over.  They watched as Buffy demolished a dummy.

"Better make that two."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Buffy walked towards the quad where a couple of girls were taping up a Prom flyer. Buffy ripped it off the wall and threw it in a trashcan.

"Can you imagine?  Who would want to go to that?"

          The others looked at each other.

"Well, I would.  But I don't have a date." Fred said.

"Me either.  And it's not like I have a dress anyway." Willow added.

"But that's not the point-"

"All right, all right.  We won't go."  Fred said, chuckling.

"But you guys are looking at this from the wrong perspective.  We're making a statement."

"Oh yeah, something new and different for us." Anya mocked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Cordelia and Dawn were standing in the gym during P.E.  Angel walked over to Dawn.

"Hey there."

          Dawn looked at him and pretended to be interested.

"Hey Angel."

"I want to talk to you about Prom."

"Look, Angel, you know the deal.  I can't go if Buffy doesn't go."

"Your sister is going."

"Since when?"

"Let's just say, I'm taking care of it."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Angel handed Spike two hundred dollars.

"Here.  This should take care of the whole deal: tickets, tux, flowers, and dinner.  Everything.  Just make sure she gets to the Prom."

          Spike looked at the money for a second and gave it back to Angel.

"I'm not doing this anymore.  I'm sick of it."

          Angel reached into his wallet.

"You sick of three hundred?"

          Spike looked at him and sighed, snatching the bills out of Angel's hand.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Spike followed Buffy through the bookstore, watching her through the stacks.  He turned the corner and faced her.

"Excuse me.  Have you seen _The Feminine Mystique_?  I've lost my copy."

"What are you doing here?  Are you going to start following me again?" Buffy asked.

"Well, I heard there was a poetry reading."

"You're so-"

"Charming?"

 "No, you're-"

"Very manly?"

          Buffy rolled her eyes and walked away.  Spike followed.

"Wholesome?"

          Buffy turned to him.

"How about unwelcome?"

          Spike stepped closer to her and looked her in the eye.

"You're not as mean as you think you are."

"And you're not as badass as you think you are." Buffy retorted.

"Oooo, someone still has her knickers in a twist!"

"Don't, even for one second, think you had any effect on my 'knickers'"

          Spike smirked.

"What did I have an effect on?"

"Other than the vomiting, nothing." 

          Buffy shoved a book into Spike's chest and left.  Spike looked at the book she gave him: _The Feminine Mystique_.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Spike stood in the lunch line with Conner and Jesse.

You're right.  She's still pissed." he told Conner.

"Sweet love, renew thy force!" Jesse yelled.

          Spike looked around to see if anyone heard Jesse, the turned to him.

"Hey!  Don't say shit like that to me!  People can hear you."

          Spike turned and grabbed a plate of nachos.

"Look, you embarrassed the girl." Conner told him.  "Now you have to find a way to make it up to her.  Sacrifice yourself on the alter of dignity and even the score!"

          Spike shook his head and walked away.  Jesse leaned over and whispered to Conner.

"Look, don't say that shit to him!  People can hear you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Spike met up with Xander and Oz for practice.

"Hey.  I've got a new song I want to sing tomorrow night."

          Oz nodded.

"Does this song happen to be for a certain someone you've been seeing a lot of lately?"

"Yeah, well, I made a fool of the girl, now I have to make it up to her."

"Well, let's hear it, then."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N:  Please review!  I want to know what you think!

        ~Ellie


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 

          Buffy picked up the phone after the fifth ring.

"Hello?" she said, annoyed.

"Buffy?"

"Oh, hi Willow."

"Get dressed.  We're going to the Bronze.  Anya and the rest of us will be at your house at 7." Willow told her.

          Buffy sighed.

"I don't feel like going out tonight Will."

"Buffy, you will get over Spike and come out and have fun with us."

"But-"

          Willow interrupted.

"What'd I say?  You may not be able to see it, but I have my resolve face on.  We'll be there at 7.  See ya then."

          Willow hung up before Buffy had a chance to protest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Buffy ran down the stairs when she heard Anya beep the horn.  She grabbed her leather jacket, and put it on, completing her outfit: a hot pink lace-up top and leather skirt.  She ran out to the car and climbed in.  Willow turned around from the front seat and smiled.

"Hey Buffy.  Ready to have some fun?"

          Buffy smiled at Willow.

"Yep.  Let's go."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Spike put his guitar in Oz's van and climbed in.  Oz looked at him in the rearview mirror.

"You ok man?"

"Yeah.  I'm fine."

          Truth be told, he was nervous about tonight's gig.  Tonight he was going to sing for Buffy.  He was afraid of her reaction.  Xander poked him, disrupting his thoughts.

"Don't worry, Spike.  She'll love it."

"I hope you're right."

"You are sure she's coming, right?" Spike asked.

"Yeah.  I asked Anya." Xander told him.

"Willow said she was coming.  She'll be there." Oz said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Anya parked the car and the girls got out.  They headed towards the entrance.  Buffy laughed at something Anya said, but her smile quickly faded when she saw who was performing tonight.

          Willow and Anya saw her hesitate.  They grabbed Buffy's arms and pulled her inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Dingoes Ate My Baby were already set up and ready to go.  They performed for the crowd.  Spike scanned the crowd, looking for Buffy.  He spotted her sitting at a table by herself.

          Oz smiled when he saw Willow.  Willow waved at him and smiled, and he nodded back.  Xander watched Anya go over to Buffy and sit down.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Buffy."

          Buffy looked up at Anya.

"Hey."

"Why aren't you dancing?  You should be out there with us."

          Buffy sighed.

"I don't feel like dancing."

"Buffy, we brought you here to have fun.  Not mope over Spike.  Now come on."

          She grabbed Buffy and pulled her over to the rest of the gang, who were out dancing.  She joined the others, laughing at Anya's comments about Xander, and soon she forgot all about her Spike problems.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          The band finished the song.  The girls walked over to their table and sat down.  Willow looked at Anya and smiled.  Anya looked at her, momentarily confused.  Willow rolled her eyes and nodded toward the stage.

"Oh!"  Anya yelled.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing." Anya said, smiling sweetly.

Devon stepped away from the microphone and nodded at Spike.  Spike took a deep breath and walked over.  

"This is for a special girl I know."

          Buffy's head snapped up.

_'He's talking about me.  Oh God, Oh God, Oh God.'_, she thought.

          She watched Spike as he started the song.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 

          Buffy watched as Spike started the song.

One day you shiver 

_One day you burn_

_One day you're helpless_

_Next day you learn_

_One day you practice_

_One day you're playing_

_One day you're lying_

_Next day you're praying_

_Hear what I'm saying_

_Some days you're shadow_

_Some days you shine_

_Some days you're theirs_

_Some days you're mine_

_Some days you're shadows_

_Some days you shine_

          Willow looked over at Buffy and saw her smiling.  She leaned over towards Anya.

"See?  I told you it'd work."

          Buffy listened to Spike with a smile on her face.  She couldn't believe he was singing for her.

_'Maybe I was wrong about him.'_ she thought.

_One day you're incensed_

_One day perfumed_

_On day you're buried_

_Next day exude_

_One day you're armored_

_One day you're naked_

_One day you feel it_

_Next day you fake it_

_Life's what you make it_

          Spike looked at Buffy from the stage.  He saw her watching him, smiling, and he grinned.

_'I think she likes it.  I knew it'd work.'_, he thought, and continued singing.

_Some days you're shadow_

_Some days you shine_

_Some days you see it_

_Some days you're blind_

_Some days you're shadow_

_Some days you shine_

_Some days you prosper_

_Some days you pine_

_Some days you're famished_

_Some days you dine_

_Some days you're theirs_

_Some days you're mine_

_Mine for all time_

_Some days you're shadow_

_Some days you shine_

_Shine like you're mine_

_Mine for all time_

_Mine for all time_

          The song ended and the audience started clapping and yelling.  The guys put their instruments down and walked off the stage.

"See?  It worked."  Oz told him.

"And to think you were nervous." Xander teased.

"I was not!" Spike said, trying to recover his dignity.

"Were too!" Xander argued.

"Was"- Spike started, but was interrupted by Oz.

"Shouldn't you go talk to her?"

"Uh, yeah.  I guess I should."

          Spike walked over to Buffy's table.  Buffy looked at him, not knowing what to say.

"So, luv, want to dance?" Spike asked just as a slow song started.

"Sure."

          Spike led Buffy out onto the dance floor and put his arms around her.

"So, Spike, I really liked your song."

"You did?  I knew you would." he said.

"Humph."

"Ok, I didn't know if you'd like it.  I was really nervous about it, actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah.  And if you tell anyone, I'll get you." he told her, chuckling.

          Buffy giggled.

"Scared you're Big Bad image will get destroyed?" she teased.

          He didn't answer, just watched her.

"What?" she asked.

"You look beautiful tonight." he told her.

          Buffy blushed and smiled.

"Did you really mean what you said in your song?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah.  I like you." he answered.

"Well, I like you too."

          The song ended and Spike let go of Buffy.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked her.

"Sure.  I'll go get my things."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Buffy walked over to the table.  Willow was grinning at her and bouncing in her seat.

"So, what'd he say?  What'd you say?"

"Calm down, Will." she said, nonchalant.

          She saw Willow bounce up and down again and giggled.

"He told me he liked Me.", she said giddily.

          Willow squealed.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him I liked him too.

          Willow squealed again.

"He's going to walk me home.  So, I'll talk to you tomorrow." Buffy told her.

"Ok.  Call me then."

          Buffy went and told the others goodbye, and she left with Spike.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 

Spike walked Buffy home.  They were sitting on Buffy's porch talking.

"Scott Hope's testicle?" Spike asked.

Buffy grinned.

"True.  But he deserved it." Buffy said, chuckling.

"So, did you really eat a live duck once?" Buffy asked.

Spike laughed.

"No.  But I had a pet duck."

Buffy raised an eyebrow.

"And if you tell anyone that, I will hurt you." he threatened.

Buffy giggled.

"Uh-huh.  Well, what did you really do last summer?  There are a lot of rumors about it.  And I know the porn career is a lie.  I mean, come on!"  Buffy said laughing.

Spike looked at her.

"How do you know?"

Buffy stopped laughing and looked at him in shock.

"No way!"

"No, I didn't have a porn career.  Nice to know you considered it, though." Spike smirked.

Buffy scoffed.

"Hmph.  What did you do then?" she asked.

"I lived in England with my uncle, working at a library so I could save up some cash to buy a motorcycle."

"That's it?" Buffy asked, incredulously.

Spike shrugged.

"Yeah.  I mean, I did get into a lot of fights, but nothing really extreme, like eating a live duck or whatever else they say about me."

"So, what other secrets do you have?" Buffy asked.

"I've pretty much told you all of my secrets, pet."

"Ok.  So tell me something that's true.  Something that no one else knows."

Spike leaned towards Buffy.

"I eat peas." he whispered.

Buffy looked at him for a minute before she burst out laughing.  Spike looked at her and laughed.

"No, really.  Tell me.", she said.

"Alright."

Spike leaned over and kissed Buffy on the cheek.

"You're sweet."

He kissed her neck.

"And sexy."

Buffy sighed.

"You really mean that?"

"I sure do, luv."

Spike kissed her, and pulled back to look her in the eyes.

"Go to Prom with me.", he told her.

"Is that a request or a demand?" she asked.

Spike sighed.

"Come on; just go to Prom with me."

"No."

"No?" Spike asked.

"No.  I don't want to go."

"Why not?  People won't expect you to go."

"Why are you pushing this?  Why is it so important?  What's in it for you?"

"Oh what?  I have to have a motive to want to be with you now?" Spike asked.

"You tell me." Buffy answered.

"You need therapy, you know that?" Spike told her, angry.

"Come on, Spike.  Answer me.  What's in it for you?" Buffy yelled.

"I just want to go to the dance with you, pet.  What's the big deal?" Spike asked, taking out a cigarette.

Buffy glared at him.

"I don't know.  What is the big deal, Spike?"

Spike looked at her, cigarette hanging out of his mouth.  Buffy yanked the cigarette away from him and threw it on the ground and stormed into the house.

_'Bloody hell.  I pissed her off again.' _he thought as he left.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Conner and Dawn sat in the library for their study session.  Conner flipped through the French book.

"_'May I offer you a parsnip_?'", he asked her in French.

"_'No you may not_.'" Dawn answered, in French.

"_'Where is my uncle's pencil_?'", he asked her.

"_'I don't know.  Maybe it is up your ass_.'" Dawn said, glaring at him.

Conner looked at her, confused.

"Wait.  That's not on this page." he told her, flipping through the pages of the book wildly.

"'_Let me ask you a question, Conner.  When are you going to ask me out?'"_, Dawn asked, in French.

Dawn slammed her book shut and stormed away, leaving behind a bewildered Conner.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Fred trudged down the hall.  Today had not been her day.  First, she failed a huge math test.  Then, she tripped in the cafeteria.  She stopped at her locker, and opened the door.  She gasped.  Inside her locker was a beautiful green, Shakespearean-style dress.  On the hook was a note.  She picked up the note and read it.

_One fair one, Join me at the Prom.  I will be waiting. Love, Jesse._

Fred grinned.  Her day had just gotten a whole lot better.

~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Please review!!  Also, thanks to Meli!  I have a group on Yahoo.  I will be putting my fanfiction there (what I have so far), so join (the addy is on my profile page), and if you want to post your fanfiction, let me know!!!

~Ellie


	17. Chapter 16

A/N: Please review!!!  Thanks to Meli! Chapter 16 

Buffy met up with the girls after school.

"Hey Buffy!" Fred greeted cheerfully.

"Hey.  Why are you so happy?" Buffy asked.

"I have a date to the Prom!  And a dress!"

"Oh my gosh!  Who?" Willow asked, excited.

"Jesse."

"Cool.  I'm going with Xander."  Anya said, smiling.

"And Oz asked me, so I'm going too!" Willow added.

"Excuse me?  When did all of this happen?  What about making a statement?" Buffy asked.

"Well, we talked about it, and we decided to go to our last high school dance and have some fun.  Who cares what everyone else thinks?  Besides, I really want to see Xander in a tux." Anya told her.

"Amy and I are going together.  Come on, Buffy.  Why don't you go with Spike?" Tara asked her.

"I don't know.  I guess I'll think about it." Buffy said.

"Good, cuz I think we should all go together." Willow said, grinning.

They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

~*~*~*~*~

Dawn walked out onto the porch and sat down next Hank.

"Hi pumpkin." Hank said, not looking up from his paper.

"Hi daddy."

They sat in silence for a moment before Dawn spoke again.

"Daddy, as you probably already know, the Prom is this weekend.  I was wondering if I could go-"

"Dawn, you know the deal.  If Buffy doesn't go, you don't go."

"But daddy-"

"No buts.  I am not going to bend the rules for that hot rod Angel"

"What's a hot rod?" Dawn asked confused.

"Never mind that, if Buffy goes, you can go too.  End of discussion."

Hank turned back to his paper.  Dawn sat there for a minute, before getting up and stomping into the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy watched the conversation between Dawn and Hank.  She decided it was time to talk to Dawn.  She went upstairs and knocked on Dawn's door.

"Come in!" Dawn said, angry.

Buffy opened the door and smiled hesitantly.

"Hi Dawn."

"What do you want?"

"Um, I wanted to talk to you.  About the Angel, Prom deal."

"Yeah, what?" Dawn asked, huffily.

"Listen, I know you hate having to sit at home because I'm not Suzy High School."

"Like you care?"

"I do care."

"Then why won't you go, so I can go too?  I'm the only sophomore asked to Prom and I can't go because you don't feel like it." Dawn yelled.

Buffy sighed.

"Angel never told you that we went out, did he?"

Dawn looked at Buffy shocked.

"No.  So?"

"We went out in tenth for about six months."

"Why?"

"Well, he was 'such a babe'." Buffy said, chuckling.

"But you hate Angel." Dawn said, puzzled.

"Now I do."

"What happened?"

"Well, we, uh"- Buffy stammered, not knowing what to say.

Dawn mouth dropped open.

"Oh my gosh!  Please tell me you're kidding!"

Buffy shook her head.

"It was just once.  Right after mom died.  I was in love with him, and I thought he was such a wonderful guy.  Turns out I was wrong."

"What do you mean?'

"He cheated on me with a girl, Darla.  She went to another school.  I didn't find out until the night of the Homecoming dance.  I found them in his car."  Buffy said, sadly.

"Why don't I know about this?"

"I warned him that if he told anyone about it, I would tell the cheerleading squad how tiny his dick is." Buffy said, laughing.

Dawn chuckled.

"Ok.  So why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to see you get hurt.  Angel is not a good guy-"

"So you protect me from Angel by not letting me experience anything?" Dawn yelled.

"Not all experiences are good, Dawn."

"It's not like I'm stupid enough to repeat you mistakes."

"You can't always trust the people you want to."

Dawn stood up and went to her door and opened it.  She looked at Buffy and glared.

"Well I guess I will never know will I?"

Buffy looked at her, shaking her head, then got up and left the room.  Dawn slammed the door shut, and sat down on her bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy lay on her bed thinking.  She stayed that way for a while, before reaching over for the phone.  She dialed Willow's number.

"Hello?" she heard Willow say.

"Hi Will.  I've made my decision.  Do you have a dress yet?"

She heard Willow squeal on the other end and giggled.

"No."

"Let's meet up and go shopping then.  I'm gonna go.  I need to talk to Dawn.  Do you think you could be here in thirty minutes?"

"You betcha.  See you then."

They disconnected, and Buffy put the phone down.  She got up and headed towards Dawn's room.  She knocked on the door.

"What?" Dawn yelled.

Buffy winced.  This was not going to be easy.  She opened the door and walked in.

"What do you want now?" she asked, glaring at Buffy.

"Um, how much money do you have?"

"What?" Dawn asked, confused.

"How much spending money do you have?"

"About two hundred, I guess.  Why?"

"Good.  Willow will be here in a few minutes.  Meet us downstairs."

"Buffy-"

Buffy left before Dawn could say anything else.  She shook her head and headed downstairs where she was greeted by Willow.

"Hey Dawn!" Willow said, cheerfully.

"Hey.  What's going on?"

"Not gonna say."

"You guys ready?" Buffy asked coming out of the living room.

"Yep." Willow said.

"Let's go then."

Dawn followed, unsure of what was going on.  They got into Buffy's car and left.

~*~*~*~*~

Buffy parked in front of the mall.  They got out and headed inside.

"Will someone tell me where we are going?" Dawn asked, almost hysterical.

Buffy and Willow didn't say anything.  They headed into a small store and walked over to the Prom dresses.  Once Dawn realized what they were doing, she stood there motionless, until Buffy poked her.

"Are you going to stare at them all day?  Pick one!" she told Dawn, giggling.

Dawn slowly smiled, then looked at Buffy and squealed.  She gave Buffy a big hug, and ran off to find the perfect dress.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When they got home, Buffy went up to her room and called Spike.

"'Lo?" she heard Spike say.

"Hi.  It's Buffy."

"'Lo, pet.  To what do I owe this call?"

"Listen, um, I'm sorry about the other day.  It's just, I have a hard time trusting people, especially guys."

"S'ok, luv."

"So, I was wondering, um, if you would go to Prom with me.  Unless, you already have a date.  If you do, that's completely understandable, because I refused you, and I would understand if you asked someone else, and I'm babbling so I'll shut up now."

Spike chuckled.  '_God, I love this girl.'_

"Sure, luv.  When do you want me to pick you up?"

Buffy covered the mouthpiece on the phone and squealed, and then she answered.

"How about seven?"

"Ok.  Seven it is.  See you then, luv."

"Ok.  Bye."

They disconnected, and Buffy ran into Dawn's room.

"I have a date!" Buffy yelled.

Dawn smiled.

"That's great!  Is it Spike?"

"Yep.  You better have fun at this dance." Buffy told her, smiling.

Dawn grinned.

"I'm going with Conner, so I will."

"Good."  Buffy said.

She turned to leave, but stopped when Dawn spoke.

"Um Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to give you something.  Well, it's not really mine, but you should have it."

Buffy watched Dawn open her jewelry box and take something out.

"What is it?" Buffy asked, confused.

"This."

Dawn opened her hand and handed the item to Buffy.  Buffy looked at her mom's locket and smiled, tears coming to her eyes.

"I know how much you loved it, so you should have it." Dawn said, smiling.

"Thank you, Dawnie.  You don't know how much this means to me."

"Dawnie?  You haven't called me that since I started high school."

Buffy smiled sadly.

"You didn't want me to, remember?"

Dawn looked down at her feet, guilty.

"Yeah.  Um, I'm gonna go take a walk.  I'll talk to you later."

"Ok.  Be careful."

"I will."

Buffy walked back into her room and sat down on her bed staring at the locket in her hand.


	18. Chapter 17

A/N: Sorry guys for the long wait.  But…Cruel to Be Kind is now completed, and I will be posting the rest of the chapters soon. 

~Ellie

Chapter 17 

It was Saturday night; Buffy came down the stairs in her Prom dress.  She wore a Titanic inspired gown: spaghetti straps criss crossed in the back, leaving her back exposed, and dipped low in the front, stopping just under her chest, and flowed down.  It was gold, with a sheer black overlay.  Around her neck was her mother's locket.  She wore her hair down and had it curled, and sprayed with glitter.

"Bye Dad. I'm going to the Prom," she said, as she passed Hank, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV.

"Very funny, sweetie." Hank said, never looking up from the television.

Buffy sighed and opened the door.  Spike stood there, fist in the air, ready to knock.

"Hi." Buffy said, smiling.

Spike stood there staring at her, fist still in the air.  Buffy shifted uncomfortably, and waved her hand in his face.

"Spike?"

Spike shook his head, and lowered his hand.

"Hello, luv." he said, kissing her cheek.

Buffy grinned.

"Oh, I have something for you."

Spike moved his other hand from behind his back.  In it was a corsage: a cluster of yellow daisies, tied with black and gold ribbon.

"They're beautiful!" Buffy said, smiling.

"Not as beautiful as you, luv."

Buffy blushed and held her hand out to Spike, who put the corsage around her wrist.

"Ready for the Prom?" Buffy asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Spike replied, offering her his arm.

Buffy looped her arm in Spike's, and they walked to his car.  He opened the door for her and she got in.  He shut the door and went to the driver's side and got in.

Just as they drove off, Hank walked towards the door.  He watched as they left.  He turned around just as Dawn came down the stairs.  She was wearing a Cinderella style gown: strapless, and crystal blue with a sheer white overlay.  She wore her hair up with a few tendrils hanging down, and a crystal tiara.

"What's that?" Hank asked her.

Dawn stopped.

"A Prom dress."

The doorbell rang, and Dawn opened the door.  Conner looked at Dawn.

"Wow, you look amazing."

"Thanks." Dawn replied, blushing.

She turned to Hank, who was standing there, dumbfounded.

"Bye Daddy."

They turned to leave when Hank yelled.

"Stop!  Explain please."

Dawn sighed and turned to Hank.

"Well, Buffy found this guy who's perfect for her, which is really perfect for me, because Conner asked me to the Prom and I really, really, really, wanna go.  And since Buffy is going, I can go too, according the rule you made." Dawn said quickly.

Conner smiled at Hank and held his hand out.

"Nice to meet you."

"Let's go." Dawn said grabbing Conner's outstretched hand.

Hank watched as they ran out the door, hand in hand, to Conner's car.  Hank sighed and shook his head.

"This is not good."

He shut the door and went back to the living room.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 

When Spike and Buffy got to the Bronze, they could hear the music.  Other students were filing in, eager for a night of fun.  Buffy looped her arm in Spike's and they went inside.  They found the others sitting at a table talking.  Xander had asked Anya; Oz had asked Willow; Amy and Tara were together, and currently Fred was sitting there, arms crossed and a scowl on her face.  Buffy and Spike sat down.

"Hey!" Willow said, excitedly.

"Hey." Buffy replied, smiling.

"What's wrong Fred?" Buffy asked.

"I think my date stood me up.", she said.

"I'm sure he's coming.  Don't worry." Buffy told her.

Spike chuckled, causing Buffy and Fred to glare at him.

He pointed across the room to Jesse, who was standing there fidgeting.

Fred smiled.

"Go get your man." Anya told her.

Fred walked over to Jesse.  Buffy smiled when she saw them dancing.

"You wanna dance, luv?" Spike asked.

"Sure."

The others got up as well, and they spent most of the night dancing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel pulled up in front of Buffy's house in his convertible.  He got out, adjusted his jacket, and walked confidently to the door.  He rang the doorbell.

Hank answered the door.

"Hey, Mr. Summers.  I'm Angel.  I'm here to pick up Dawn." he said, a smug look on his face.

Hank looked him up and down, before slamming the door in his face.

Angel stood there a moment, angry that he was stood up.  He walked to his car.  He got his cell phone and dialed a number.  The person on the other end, answered.

"Hey, babe.  You want to go to Prom with me? ----Ok.  I'll be there in a few."

He smiled, and put his cell phone away and drove off.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy saw Dawn dancing with Conner a few feet away.  She smiled, and Dawn smiled back, throwing her arms around Conner.  Buffy turned back to Spike and kept dancing.

Spike smiled at Buffy, glad to see she was having a good time.  He leaned over and kissed her.

"Having fun?" he asked.

"Lots.", she replied.

She put her arms around him and they kept dancing.

Dawn excused herself to go to the bathroom.  She was checking her hair in the mirror when Cordelia walked up.  Dawn turned to Cordelia.

"What are you doing here?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes.

"Don't think you were the only sophomore asked to Prom.  Angel picked me up."

"Ugh, well, he's all yours." Dawn said.

"Very generous, princess."

Cordelia turned to leave, but turned back around to face Dawn.

"Oh, just so you know, Angel only liked you for one reason.  He even had a bet going with his friends.  He was gonna nail you tonight."

Dawn stood there shocked, and Cordelia grinned evilly and walked out.

"Son of a bitch!" Dawn yelled, storming out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike was spinning Buffy around on the dance floor.  She laughed as he spun and grabbed her dipping her.  When they came up, Angel was standing there glaring at Spike.  They stopped dancing and looked at Angel.

"What's that asshole doing here with Dawn?"

Angel walked over to Spike and shoved him.

"I didn't pay you to take out Buffy just so that dick could have her."

Spike looked over at Buffy, who was standing there, tears forming in her eyes.

"Nothing in it for you, huh?" she asked, before storming away.

Spike glared at Angel one last time, before going after Buffy.

After witnessing the incident, Jesse and Fred danced over to Conner.

"I think the shit hath hitteth the fan-eth.", he said, as Fred giggled.

Jesse separated from Fred and walked over to Angel, Conner trailing behind.

"Angel, my friend."

Angel grabbed Jesse and threw him on the floor.  Conner looked at Angel and glared.

"Hey!  You can't just do that to him!"

Conner walked over to Jesse and helped him stand.  Angel followed.

"You're gonna pay.  You and that little bitch!"

"Take that back!  She's not a—"

Conner was cut off when Angel slammed his fist into his face.  Conner fell to the floor, holding his nose.  Angel grinned.

"Oh come on, you little bitch!" Angel yelled going after Conner.

By this time, everyone had gathered around them.  Angel felt someone tap him on the shoulder.  He smirked, and turned around to see Dawn standing there.  Her fist slammed into his nose.

"Ow.  Shit, Dawn.  I'm shooting a nose spray ad tomorrow!" Angel yelled, holding his nose.

"That's for making my date bleed."

Dawn slammed her fist into his face again.

"That's for my sister."

Then, she kicked Angel in the groin.

"And that's for me."

Angel was sprawled out on the floor, moaning.

Cordelia ran up.

"Angel!"

Dawn turned to Cordelia.

"Hey."

Cordelia looked at Dawn.

"I like your dress."

Cordelia grinned.

"Thanks.  I got it at—"

Cordelia was cut off when Dawn's fist slammed into her face.  Cordelia hit the floor, and Dawn grinned.

"Damn, that felt good." Dawn said, turning to Conner.

Conner smiled, but winced when he felt pain in his jaw.  Dawn helped him to his feet.

"Are you ok?"

"Never been better." Conner said, kissing her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Spike found Buffy standing near the bathrooms.  Buffy glared at him and started to walk away.

"Would you let me explain?" Spike said, grabbing her arms.

"You were paid to date me by the one person I truly hate.  I knew this was a setup.  It was too good to be true.  How could I allow myself to believe you were a good guy?"

Buffy ran off, and Spike followed her outside.

"It wasn't like that."

"Then what was it like, huh?  Was there a bonus for sleeping with me later?"

"No!  I didn't care about the money.  I cared about you!" Spike yelled.

"Then why didn't you tell me the truth when I asked you?  Why did you keep taking Angel's money?"

Spike stood there, not knowing how to answer.  Buffy shook her head and ran off.  He heard footsteps behind him, and whirled around expecting Angel.

Dawn stood there, and gave Spike a sympathetic smile.

"She'll come around eventually."


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 

Sunday morning, Buffy sat on her front porch with her sketchpad.  Dawn walked out with a mug of hot chocolate.

"You want?" she asked.

"Sure.", Buffy said, taking the mug from Dawn.

Dawn looked at Buffy for a moment.

"Look, I just wanna say thank you for going last night.  It really meant a lot to me."

"I'm glad." Buffy answered, and smiled.

"Are you ok?"

Buffy looked up at Dawn.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Conner ran up onto the porch.  Dawn turned to him and gave him a hug.

"Conner and I are going to his house.  They have a stable and horses.  Do you wanna go riding with us?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, you're welcome to come." Conner added.

"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks.  Maybe another time." Buffy answered, smiling a little.

"Ok.  Well, I guess I'll see you later." Dawn replied.

"Ok.  Be careful you two."

Dawn and Conner turned to leave.  As they were walking away, Conner turned to Dawn.

"Is she ok?"

Dawn sighed.

"I hope so."

Buffy watched them leave, a small smile on her face.  She looked up when Hank walked out.

"Where's your sister going?"

"To a bar.  With bikers.  Full of sperm." Buffy answered smirking.

Hank shook his head.

"So, tell me about this dance.  Was it hoppin'?" Hank asked, trying to sound hip.

"Parts of it.  Mostly the ones when Dawn beat the crap out of some guy."

Hank looked shocked.

"Dawn did what?"

Buffy chuckled.

"Are you afraid that I'm starting to rub off on her?"

"No, impressed actually."

Buffy looked at Hank.  He sat down next to her.

"You know, fathers don't like it when they realize their daughters are capable of running their own lives.  It means we become spectators.  Dawn still lets me play, but you- you've had me on the bench for years.  And when you go to Columbia, I won't even be able to watch you."

Buffy looked at Hank for a moment, and then realized his last sentence.

"Wait, when I go?"

"Oh no.  Don't tell me you changed your mind.  I already sent them a check."

Buffy looked at Hank and grinned.  She threw her arms around him.  Hank sat there for a moment, then wrapped his arms around her.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy ran inside to call Willow.

"Willow?"

'Hey Buffy.'

"Guess what?  My dad sent a check to Columbia.  I'm going to college with you!"

'Oh, Buffy.  That's great!'

"I know!"

'How are you?'

"I'm fine."

'Yeah, right.'

Buffy sighed.

"Fine, I'm still upset.  Spike was a great guy.  I can't believe he did that to me."

'It'll be ok.  Maybe you should talk to him.'

"I guess.  I don't think I can face him anytime soon."

'I better go.  My mom is calling me.  See you at school tomorrow?'

"Yep.  See you later."

'Bye.'

They disconnected.  Buffy sat on her bed for a while, before remembering her English assignment.  She took out her book and got to work.


	21. Chapter 20

A/N: OK, I used the same poem from the movie, but I added a couple things here and there.  REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Chapter 20 

Monday morning, Buffy sat in Giles's English class.

"Alright, everyone.  I assume everyone has had enough time to complete their poem, except for Mr. O'Connor, who has a somewhat valid excuse." Giles said, chuckling at Angel.

Angel glared, and touched the bandage on his purple nose.

"Alright, is anyone brave enough to read theirs out loud?"

The students looked at each other.

"I will." Buffy said.

"Anyone at all?" Giles said, ignoring Buffy.

No one spoke up, so Giles walked over to the side of the room.

"Lord, here we go." he said.

Buffy walked to the front of the class with her notebook.  She took a deep breath and started.

"I hate the way you talk to me and the way you dye your hair.

I hate the way you drive my car, I hate the way you stare.

I hate you big dumb boots, and the way you read my mind.

I hate you so much it makes me sick, it even makes me rhyme."

Spike watched Buffy from his seat in the back of the room.

"I hate it when you're always right; I hate it when you lie.

"I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry."

Buffy started to cry.

"I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call.

But mostly, I hate the way I don't hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all."

Buffy slammed her book shut and ran out of the room.  Spike put his head down.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After Buffy ran out of the room, she got her things out of her locker and headed towards the parking lot.  She got to her car, and pulled her keys out.  She opened the door to the car door and gasped when she saw a box tied with black ribbon placed on the seat.  She threw her things in to the car and picked up the box and opened it.  In it was a brand new black leather jacket.

"I thought you might like it.  If I remember correctly, you puked on your other one.  Besides, I had some extra cash, you know."

Buffy spun around and looked at Spike.

"It's beautiful.  Thank you." Buffy sat the box in the car.

"Yeah, well, some asshole paid me to take out a really great girl."

Buffy smiled.

"Is that right?"

Spike shrugged.

"Yeah, but, I screwed up.  I fell for her."

"Really?"

"Really."

Spike leaned over and kissed Buffy.  Buffy pulled away and pointed her finger at him.

"Don't think you can buy me a leather jacket every time you screw up."

"Oh, I know.  But there's always pretty jewelry, new shoes, and maybe even one day a black lace thong." Spike said, smirking.

Buffy gasped.  Spike chuckled and kissed her again.  Buffy pulled away and started to say something else, but Spike pulled her back, crushing his lips against hers.


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue 

Buffy and Spike pulled up in front of Conner's house.  They were going horse back riding with Dawn and Conner.

It was the end of the summer, almost time for college.  Buffy was going to Columbia with the girls, and Spike applied so he could be with Buffy.

Conner and Dawn were still together.  Conner was still friends with Jesse.  Dawn had dumped Cordelia and Harmony, and now had a new group of friends.

They met Conner and Dawn at the front of the house.  They walked to the stables together, discussing college and friends.

Xander and Anya were still together.  Their relationship had been rocky at times, but they eventually worked out their problems.  Anya was going to attend Columbia.  She and Xander were going to rent an apartment so she could attend college and he could work.

Willow and Oz began dating shortly after Prom.  They broke up once in the middle of the summer, due to a girl who was a singer for a rival band.  They solved their problems also, and got back together.  Willow and Oz were both going to attend Columbia.

Jesse and Fred started dating shortly after Prom, also.  They are still dating.  Fred is also attending Columbia, and Jesse will be going to a community college near the area.

Amy and Tara are still together.  They will be attending Columbia also.

Angel got fired from his modeling job the day after Prom due to the fact that his nose was purple.  He is still pursuing modeling jobs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sat in front of Spike on the horse.  They rode along slow, stopping to watch the sunset.

"So, you ready for college?" Spike asked.

"Yep.  It's gonna be so much fun.  I'm glad you're gonna be there."

"Well, I couldn't stand to be away from you that long."

"I know."

Buffy turned her head towards Spike and kissed him.

"I love you."  Spike said, after he pulled away.

Buffy looked at him, shocked.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I love you too." she said, pulling him in for another kiss.


End file.
